Hilton Head Man Arrested in Malta Sentenced for Fraud

COLUMBIA, SC—United States Attorney William N. Nettles stated today that James Sadler, age 66, of Hilton Head, was sentenced in federal court in Charleston, South Carolina, for wire fraud and identity theft, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1343 and 1028. Senior United States District Judge Sol Blatt, Jr. of Charleston sentenced Sadler to 57 months’ imprisonment and three years of supervised release. Sadler was also ordered to pay $123,800 in restitution.

Evidence presented at the guilty plea established that in 2006, Sadler claimed to be an expert financial advisor and convinced an individual in Hilton Head to take out a $100,000 second mortgage on her house for him to invest in the stock market. At Sadler’s direction, the victim wired $100,000 from her bank in Hilton Head to a brokerage firm in New York. Sadler promised the victim that he would invest her money in low-risk securities. Unbeknownst to her, Sadler ordered checks and a debit card from the brokerage account and embezzled her money to buy more than $70,000 in gold coins.

Using the remainder of the victim’s investment, Sadler fled to the island of Malta off the coast of Italy. The FBI traced Sadler to Malta, and the Justice Department obtained an international arrest warrant for his arrest. In July 2009, Sadler was arrested on the international warrant by the Maltese police. Sadler was found in possession of a forged British identification card with his picture but in another person’s name, an Irish passport, and a U.S. passport. Sadler was transported from Malta to Charleston by the U.S. Marshals Service.

The case was investigated by agents of the FBI and the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant United States Attorney Rhett DeHart of the Charleston office prosecuted the case.