GREENBELT, Md. — A former financial advisor was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for her conviction on 17 federal charges related to a $20 million Ponzi scheme.
The District of Attorney sentenced Dawn J. Bennett to 20 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for 17 federal charges including conspiracy, securities fraud, wire fraud, bank fraud and making false statements on a loan application.
A judge ordered that Bennett must pay restitution of $14,504,290 and forfeiture of $14,306,842.
According to a federal indictment, Bennett took money people invested in her luxury sportswear company, DJBennett.com, to finance her lavish lifestyle, including spending thousands of dollars on astrological gems, cosmetic medical procedures, and religious rituals.
When FBI agents went to her Chevy Chase home, they found evidence that Bennett cast "hoodoo" spells on investigators to try and silence them.
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Bennett’s co-defendant, Bradley Mascho pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit securities fraud and to making a false statement.
Mascho faces a maximum of 10 years in prison and is scheduled to be sentenced on August 28, 2019.
