![Bobby Thompson, whom authorities have identified as Harvard-trained attorney John Donald Cody, looks at the jury as his verdict is read in Cleveland in November.](https://cdn.kpbs.org/dims4/default/a33dc1e/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1776x1094+0+119/resize/880x542!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fkpbs-brightspot.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2Fstatic%2Fkpbs%2Fassets%2FPUBLISH2%2Fap635359665153-778eabc69172fafd55e231d31b7afb77aaf77e84.jpg)
Tony Dejak
A man found guilty of masterminding a $100 million fraud involving a Navy veterans charity has been sentenced to 28 years in prison and slapped with a $6 million fine.
Harvard-trained attorney John Cody, 67, went by the alias Bobby Thompson. He was convicted in November of 23 counts, including identity fraud and using a false name in a scam that spanned 40 states, Reuters says.
The news agency writes:
"Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine, whose office spent years investigating the case, said he was glad Cody was being held accountable for his 'despicable actions.'
" 'It's horrible when a scammer victimizes people, but to do it under the cover story of helping veterans is just plain evil,' said DeWine."
"claimed in court filings that he [was] still working as a 'nonofficial cover' agent for the CIA, and that the charity is part of a secret operation.
"The Tampa Bay Times [reported] that 'in a handwritten court motion, Thompson alleged that the Tampa charity was not a criminal enterprise but a U.S. intelligence community/White House- and Republican Party-manipulated operation.' "