Utah man sentenced for defrauding millions through bank fraud, identity theft

SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah man was sentenced to 9 years in prison after the U.S. Attorney’s Office said he defrauded friends and family members out of $3.4 million.

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A press release from the Justice Department said 60-year-old Misiona Patane from Lehi “forged legal documents, sent emails from sham email accounts, and pretended to be a private lawyer and an agent with the Utah Attorney General’s Office to further his scheme to defraud.”

Patane pleaded guilty in 2023 to bank fraud, wire fraud, money laundering and identity theft, the release said.

“Patane admitted that beginning in April 2015 and continuing through May 2020, he defrauded two sets of victims for his own benefit, including a relative who suffered a traumatic brain injury and had a trust to allow for a lifetime of care,” the release said.

Patane opened a bank account in his victims’ names and diverted funds into his own accounts, using the money to pay for “extravagant travel, gambling habits, and other expenses,” the release said.

The Justice Department said Patane also lied about his identity in order to steal a significant amount of money from the trust of his relative who had a traumatic brain injury. He diverted $2.5 million from the trust — only $150,000 ended up being spent on the victim between 2016 to 2019, the statement said, which left the victim “financially destitute.”

The sentencing came nearly 10 years after April 2015, when Patane admitted to beginning his string of fraud.