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By Matthew Russell Lee

SDNY COURTHOUSE, June 11– When repeat fraudster John Galanis was sentenced on March 8, 2019 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York for swindling a Native American tribal entity, the Wakpamni Lake Community Corporation, he was ordered to pay over $43 million in restitution.

It was ironic, because part of Galanis' argument against the 10 years of imprisonment he was also sentenced to was that the U.S. Bureau of Prison has refused or been unable to get him a pair of orthopedic shoes, leaving him in a wheelchair.

So a man without shoes is billed $43 million - and he is already 75 years ago.

On February 28, 2022 SDNY Judge Ronnie Abrams had before her for sentencing in the same scheme Devon Archer, who she sentenced to a year and a day but did not yet sent a sentencing date. Inner City Press live tweeted it, here:

Archer's lawyer: He is an incredibly hard worker. [Including politically, it seems. He faces a guideline sentence of 108 to 135 months] Mr. Archer has lived under this court's supervision for almost six years.

Archer: I've been put in a situation that is surreal. I'm being sentenced for a crime I was not knowingly involved in. I did not commit this crime.

 Judge Abrams: There is no question of how much harm this caused one of the poorest tribes in the country... Mr. Archer has no criminal history. But I believe he had the requisite criminal intent. I must consider the impacts of COVID on incarceration.

Judge Abrams: I sentence Mr. Archer to one year and one day. [That will allow "good time," see BOP here.

Judge Abrams: You'll get 1 instead of 3 years of supervised release... Surrender date in approx 60 days. 

Defense: Could you stay it pending appeal?

Judge Abrams: Write me a letter setting forth the basis of the appeal. I won't set a surrender date Adjourned

[Note - this came after a Second Circuit decision involving, then by designation, Judge Alison J. Nathan, summarized here]

  Earlier on Galanis, Judge Abrams focused on his age, that he had committed two of his four frauds in his late sixties and early seventies. Galanis on the other hand blamed it on his son Jason; his lawyer said he had really meant to help the tribe. There was no one in the courtroom to make a victim's statement. There were two marshals to wheel Galanis away, ultimately to the Bureau of Prisons' Terminal Island facility near Los Angeles. Terminal indeed.

Now on September 24, 2020, this: "JASON GALANIS was sentenced to 189 months in prison for his participation in multiple fraudulent schemes.  In particular, GALANIS was sentenced for his role in a scheme to manipulate the market for Gerova Financial Group, Ltd. (“Gerova”), a publicly traded company listed on the New York Stock Exchange, and defrauding the shareholders of that company (the “Gerova Scheme”), and for defrauding the clients of an investment advisory firm.  GALANIS was also sentenced for his role in a scheme to defraud a Native American tribal entity and the investing public of tens of millions of dollars in connection with the issuance of bonds by the tribal entity (the “Tribal Bond Scheme”).  GALANIS pled guilty on January 31, 2020, to a seven-count information charging GALANIS with participation in the Gerova and Tribal Bond Schemes.  GALANIS was sentenced today by United States District Judge P. Kevin Castel... In addition to the prison term, JASON GALANIS, 50, was sentenced to three years of supervised release.  GALANIS was also ordered to forfeit $80,869,117.10, as well as his interest in properties in New York and Los Angeles, and to make restitution in the amount of $80,817,513.43."

Jump cut to June 1, 2025 when after Galanis' commutation his bid to get back undistributed forfeiture of $2,170,196.34 - Judge Castel said no, that the Commutation Order provides only forward-looking relief and has not retroactive application.

This case is USA v. Galanis, 1:15-cr-643 (Castel)

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