The Brief
- Attorney Ari Lauer sentenced to 11 years and 5 months for Ponzi scheme related to DC Solar company.
- The crimes at DC Solar were sophisticated and complex, but involved mobile solar generators (MSGs) that were mounted on trailers.
- Generators were sold that didn’t even exist — at least half DC Solar claimed to have manufactured — making it look like MSGs existed in locations that they did not.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – A Lafayette man was sentenced to over 11 years in federal prison this month 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.
On March 9, U.S. District Judge Dale Drozd sentenced attorney Ari Lauer, 61, to 11 years and five months in prison for “giving legitimacy” as outside counsel to the Benicia-based company DC Solar, which defrauded investors.
Lauer pleaded guilty in October 2025 to one count of conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud, 12 counts of bank fraud, and 10 counts of wire fraud affecting a financial institution. …