Man gets 15 years in fraud case...

Man gets 15 years in fraud case

A 36-year-old Costa Mesa man who operated a fake church and

several similar entities locally for about eight years was sentenced

on Monday to 15 years in federal prison.

In November, Timothy Lyons was convicted of pocketing about $11

million supposedly solicited for veterans, homeless children,

firefighters and AIDS victims, officials said.

A federal jury, after a two-week trial, found Lyons and his friend

Gabriel Sanchez, also 36, each guilty of 44 counts of money

laundering and mail fraud.

Sanchez founded First Church of Life in Costa Mesa in 1993 and

from there on operated 12 different charities through which he and

his partners solicited money, officials said.

-- Deepa Bharath