S. Oregon man gets 3 years in fraud scheme

MEDFORD, Ore. (AP) – A southern Oregon man has been sentenced to nearly three years in prison for bilking friends and family members out of retirement savings in an illegal scheme to develop land belonging to American Indian tribes in Montana.

Gilbert Birdinground Pugliano of Medford planned to buy and develop tribal land in Montana and return the profits to his investors, but he later found out his plan was illegal, the Mail Tribune reported.

Instead of returning the money he collected from clients, he used it to buy expensive cars and vacations.

Medford police said Pugliano, 32, has roots in an American Indian community in Montana, and it may have helped him convince victims that what he was doing was legitimate.

Pugliano was indicted last fall on various counts of racketeering, aggravated theft, securities fraud and selling unlicensed securities.

He apologized during his sentencing Monday in Jackson County Circuit Court in Medford, saying "I got caught up in a cycle of immense greed and bad decisions."

But some victims in the courtroom called out "liar" as Pugliano spoke.

His attorney, Shaun McCrea, blamed alcohol and what she called a desire for a "lavish lifestyle" by Pugliano's wife, Shelley Pugliano.

"She is by trade an accountant. She is the one who did the Puglianos' taxes," McCrea said, adding her client was "in the throes of alcoholism" and "trying to satisfy a spouse."

Shelley Pugliano was the last to comment during the victim statement portion of the sentencing hearing. She claimed her former husband beat her down mentally and emotionally while stealing the life savings of people who trusted him.

"I felt guilty for bringing this monster into our family," said Shelley Pugliano, adding her own 80-year-old grandmother was bilked out of $86,000.

"He could care less," she said.

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Information from: Mail Tribune, http://www.mailtribune.com/