COEUR D’ALENE – Travis Justin Sneed, 28, of Spokane, Washington, was sentenced today to 63 months in prison for interstate transportation in aid of racketeering enterprises and three counts of wire fraud, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge also ordered Sneed to serve three years of supervised release following his prison term and to pay $732,580.89, in restitution to the victim. Sneed pleaded guilty to the charge on March 21.

According to court documents, Sneed was simultaneously involved in two separate schemes to defraud. The first involved a home and property owner in Coeur d'Alene who entered into an agreement with Sneed to develop her land into condominiums along the Spokane River. The homeowner mortgaged her property, and the majority of the money—almost $600,000—went to Sneed. Sneed sent the money to his out-of-state attorney, who paid the money into Sneed’s bank account. The bulk of the funds was not used as promised.

At sentencing, Judge Lodge told the defendant he was “nothing more than a con-artist” and that he is “continually working in a fraudulent and self-serving manner.”

While this scheme was ongoing, Sneed developed and ran an Internet fraud scheme where he represented that he owned computer components and sold them on the Internet. Three victims of this scheme lost approximately $165,000.

Sneed and co-defendant Samuel Jones, were indicted by a federal grand jury on July 20, 2010, in a twenty-two count indictment charging one count of interstate transportation in aid of racketeering enterprises and twenty-one counts of wire fraud. Jones' jury trial is set for September 6, 2011, in Coeur d'Alene.

The case was investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation.