Gwinnett woman sentenced for bank fraud, money laundering

ATLANTA - A suburban Atlanta woman was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison Thursday following her conviction on charges of bank fraud, money laundering and false statements. <br> <br> U.S. District Court Judge Charles Pannell Junior also ordered 38-year-old Juliet Cotton of Duluth to pay restitution of more than $22 million, with about $20 million going to the government of Ghana and about two million to South Trust Bank. <br> <br> A jury deliberated for three hours after the ten-day trial and found Cotton guilty of 35 charges, including one of defrauding the bank in loans purportedly obtained to build a rice plantation in the Republic of Ghana. <br> <br> Prosecutors said Cotton used the money for things such as a Bentley automobile and a Rolls Royce automobile, a Jaguar, two Mercedes Benz, a $540,000 down payment on a $1.1 million home, $22,000 for a 50-piece orchestra at her wedding and a $30,000 Caribbean honeymoon.