United States v. Hamilton

POSNER, Circuit Judge.

A jury found the defendant guilty of multiple counts of mail and wire fraud in furtherance of a classic Ponzi scheme that swindled investors out of $14 million. The judge sentenced him to 300 months. The defendant complains about a jury instruction proposed by the government and given by the judge which states that “if money or property is obtained through knowingly false representations, the scheme to defraud is established, regardless of whether the defendant hoped, intended, or even expected that the victims would eventually be satisfied.” He contends that although…