Federal regulators have obtained a $2 million judgment against a Utah man they accuse of participating in a Ponzi scheme.
William D. Perkins of St. George says he's an accountant who, along with his clients, got taken by a larger scheme.
The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission says Perkins and his bookkeeping service must pay a $354,000 fine and return more than $1.6 million to investors.
Perkins says he'll appeal the order issued by a federal judge in New Jersey on March 25.
Regulators say Perkins took a commission putting investors' money in a bogus fund that promised to double their returns in a year with the trading of commodities futures.
Perkins was in federal prison in Nevada for four months in 2005 on an unrelated tax charge. He said he was a fall guy who "went out on a limb" for some clients and was forced to plead guilty.
Perkins is a registered agent for two Utah companies, the Tax Accounting Office and Universe Capital Appreciation LLC.
