A Lafayette man was sentenced to over 11 years in federal prison last week for his role in what the U.S. Department of Justice said is the biggest criminal fraud scheme in the history of the Eastern District of California.  

Attorney Ari Lauer, 61, got 11 years and five months in prison for “giving legitimacy” as outside counsel to the company DC Solar, which defrauded investors.  

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Katy St. Clair got her start in journalism by working in the classifieds department at the East Bay Express during the height of alt weeklies, then sweet talked her way into becoming staff writer, submissions editor, and music editor. She has been a columnist in the East Bay Express, SF Weekly, and the San Francisco Examiner. Starting in 2015, she begrudgingly scaled the inverted pyramid at dailies such as the Vallejo Times-Herald, The Vacaville Reporter, and the Daily Republic. She has her own independent news site and blog that covers the delightfully dysfunctional town of Vallejo, California, where she also collaborates with the investigative team at Open Vallejo. A passionate advocate for people with developmental disabilities, she serves on both the Board of the Arc of Solano and the Arc of California. She lives in Vallejo.