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All of the stories surrounding the allegations surrounding Utah Attorney General John Swallow.

Jeremy Johnson Sentenced to 11 Years In Prison

Whittney Evans
Jeremy Johnson's wife Sharla addresses the media outside federal court in Salt Lake City.

A judge has sentenced internet entrepreneur Jeremy Johnson to 11 years in federal prison.  A Jury convicted Johnson in March of providing false information to a bank in connection with his online marketing company in St. George.

In addition to his prison sentence, Johnson has been ordered to pay back more than half a million dollars his company I Works received through the credit card scam. U.S. District Judge David Nuffer sentenced Johnson’s co-defendant Ryan Riddle, a former manager at I Works to five years in prison.

U.S. Attorney for Utah John Huber says he’s pleased with the sentence.

“As the judge found today, this was an elaborate scheme,” he says. “A novel scheme. An innovative scheme. And most of all an unlawful scheme that was perpetrated against the credit card industry. Business has to operate on integrity and truth. This case is about people who did not want to operate that way.”

Johnson’s wife Sharla says the five-year-long ordeal has been difficult. The family is moving out of their St. George home, which was seized by the Federal Trade Commission. 

“He’s the kindest, most generous man. We adore him,” she syas. “We love him. We have two beautiful little girls that will miss him terribly. But we will never give up the fight.”

Attorneys for both defendants say their clients plan to appeal the decisions.

Johnson is also tied to the public corruption case against former Utah Attorneys General Mark Shurtleff and John Swallow. Shurtleff’s case was recently dismissed. Swallow’s case is ongoing. 

Whittney Evans grew up southern Ohio and has worked in public radio since 2005. She has a communications degree from Morehead State University in Morehead, Kentucky, where she learned the ropes of reporting, producing and hosting. Whittney moved to Utah in 2009 where she became a reporter, producer and morning host at KCPW. Her reporting ranges from the hyper-local issues affecting Salt Lake City residents, to state-wide issues of national interest. Outside of work, she enjoys playing the guitar and getting to know the breathtaking landscape of the Mountain West.
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