JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – A former Jackson lawyer and a former Jackson lobbyist were sentenced for conspiracy to defraud investors in a timber deed investment scheme.

On October 31, 2023, former lawyer Jon D. Seawright, 51, of Jackson, was sentenced to serve twelve months and one day in prison, followed by two years of supervised release. Former lobbyist Ted Brent Alexander, 58, of Jackson, was sentenced to serve five years of probation, which includes two years of home confinement with electronic monitoring. 

Seawright and Alexander were also ordered to pay restitution joint and severally in the amount of $977,044.53. On separate dates, Alexander and Seawright entered guilty pleas to conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

Prosecutors said Alexander and Seawright conspired in a scheme to defraud investors by soliciting millions of dollars under false pretenses and by failing to use investor funds as promised.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.