FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) – A Texas radio host was sentenced Monday to three life imprisonment terms for cheating elderly listeners out of millions of dollars.
William Neil “Doc” Gallagher was also sentenced to 30 years in prison by District Judge Elizabeth Beach for his guilty plea in August. The sentences are to be served at the same time.
The conviction came after more than a dozen high-profile victims testified during a three-hour trial that they lost between $ 50,000 and $ 600,000 invested in the Gallagher Financial Group. Some said they had to sell their homes, borrow money from their children, or take part-time jobs to top up their social security benefits.
“Doc Gallagher is one of the worst culprits I have ever seen,” said Lori Varnell, senior financial fraud team leader for District Attorney Tarrant.
Gallagher, 80, and his Gallagher Financial Group advertised on Christian radio with the slogan “See you at church on Sunday”. He promoted his investment business in books such as “Jesus Christ, Money Master” and on Christian radio broadcasts.
Gallagher has been behind bars in Dallas County on similar charges since his arrest in March 2019. In 2020 he pleaded guilty to these charges and was sentenced to 25 years in prison. He was charged in Tarrant County in August 2019.
“He ruthlessly stole from customers who trusted him for nearly a decade. He has amassed $ 32 million in losses for all of his customers and has exploited many elderly people. He worked his way into churches to hunt down people who believed he was a Christian, ”Varnell said in a statement.
[ad_1]
