CEO in Ohio sentenced to one week in scheme

Associated Press

DAYTON

A federal judge in Ohio has handed a one-week sentence to the chief executive of a now-defunct computer sales company who authorities say lost investors millions in a scheme to inflate stock price.

The Dayton Daily News reports U.S. District Judge Sandra Beckwith went against the eight- to 10-year recommendation from prosecutors and federal sentencing guidelines, saying she was persuaded by more than 100 letters of support for MCSi Inc.’s Michael Peppel.

The sentence was handed down earlier this month on the 44-year-old Peppel for money laundering and other charges.

His attorney, Ralph Kohnen, said Peppel had already been publicly humiliated and lost his livelihood.

The suburban Dayton-based MCSi filed for bankruptcy in 2003, causing hundreds of people to lose their jobs or investments. Peppel was arrested in 2006.