Imperial Valley News Imperial Valley News Center California Man Sentenced to 7 Years in Prison for Falsely Claiming to Be an Attorney and Defrauding Couple Details Written by Imperial Valley News Sacramento, California - Derek Bluford, 34, of Sacramento, was sentenced to seven years in prison for wire fraud, money laundering, obstruction of a federal investigation, and making false statements, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. According to court documents, Bluford told a couple that he was an attorney and could represent them in a dispute they were having with their tenant. After the couple agreed, Bluford then told them that they had incurred numerous fines and court costs, as well as costs to repair their rental unit; he also told them he had negotiated a settlement agreement with the couple’s former tenant. Based on these representations, the couple paid Bluford over $500,000. Bluford, in fact, was not an attorney, and there were no fines or court costs imposed. Bluford laundered the proceeds from his scheme, obstructed a federal investigation, and made false statements to the FBI regarding the investigation.