Phillip Nesmith

Lengthy prison terms have been handed down to the first two defendants to be sentenced in a $64 million fraud some funds were laundered through the Bank of Bermuda in the name of an Antiguan 'paper' bank.William H. West, of Niceville, Florida was the first to be sentenced, receiving 136 months in prison and ordered to pay restitution of $25 million at a hearing on July 19, 2001.

Six people have been convicted of criminal offenses relating to a $64 million investment scam that involved several offshore jurisdictions, including Antigua, Bermuda and the Bahamas. The convictions on April 13, 2001 followed a six-week jury trial at the U. S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida that focused on investment programs known as Hammersmith Trust, Microfund and Luxor Capital Markets.