Former St. Thomas-St. John businessman Ronald Gross, 66, has been sentenced by District Court Judge Thomas K. Moore to serve 27 months in jail for mail fraud.
Moore also ordered Gross to pay restitution to the fraud victims, with the amount to be reduced by the money he has already paid, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Gross, a former insurance broker and agent, had previously pleaded guilty to a grand jury indictment charging him with four counts of using the mail to commit the fraud.
The scheme, set forth in the indictment, involved Gross taking more than $200,000 in premium payments from clients but not using the premiums to pay for the insurance policies his clients thought they had purchased.
At the time the crimes were committed, Gross was doing business on St. John as R. Gross & Associates.
Gross was also formerly a principal of West Indies Insurance Co. on St. Thomas.
He lived on St. Thomas for many years before moving to the mainland several years ago.
