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08/13/2013 12:00 AMOne of two convicted Connecticut women has been sentenced in a pyramid scheme that authorities say involved millions of dollars and more than 1,000 other women.
Jill Platt was sentenced Tuesday afternoon to 4 ½ years in prison. Donna Bello also was being sentenced at the hearing in U.S. District Court in Hartford.
The two Guilford residents were convicted them in February of fraud, conspiracy, and tax crimes.
Prosecutors called for significant prison time for both women, but their lawyers said they should receive lenient sentences because they believed they weren’t breaking the law.
Authorities say the scheme involved women joining “gifting table” clubs for $5,000, then receiving $40,000 by recruiting eight new members who paid $5,000 apiece. Authorities say victims of the scheme lost more than $2 million.