A former financial advisor from Santa Maria was sentenced to 10 years in prison in Los Angeles federal county on Monday after pleading guilty to a count of fraud in connection to a scheme in which she stole more than $2 million from elderly clients.

U.S. District Judge Otis D. Wright II handed down the sentence to Julie Ann Darrah, 52, during a hearing in Los Angeles court, ordering her to serve 121 months in federal prison after she pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud in March.

Federal prosecutors charged Darrah with a single count of wire fraud in December 2024, alleging she used her position at a registered investment advisory business to gain the trust of her clients in order to obtain control of their assets, liquidate them and spend the proceeds on herself.

“Darrah took adva

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