Two men have been found guilty of conspiracy and wire fraud related to an advance fee fraud scheme that defrauded more than 40 individuals out of more than $4.5 million, according to a statement from the office of Deirdre M. Daly, U.S. attorney for the District of Connecticut.

David C. Jackson, formerly of Maryland, Ohio and Pennsylvania and also known as “C. David Manns,” “Charles Jackson” and “Andrew D. Smithson,” and Alexander D. Hurt of Scottsdale, Arizona and formerly of Massachusetts, who also went by “Alex Hurt” and “Alex Dante,” were convicted in New Haven court.

According to the evidence presented during the trial, in approximately September 2009, Jackson established Jalin Realty Capital Advisors LLC, using a business address in Dayton, Ohio and under the alias “C. David Manns.” In 2011, Jackson changed the name of his business to American Capital Holdings LLC, this time using an address in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Shortly after changing the business name, Jackson began introducing himself to victim clients as “Charles Jackson” and later “Andrew Smithson.”

Hurt became vice president of Brightway Financial Group LLC, a company that used a business address in Grapevine, Texas. Hurt used his background as a pastor with a Brockton, Massachusetts church to gain the confidence of at least one victim who lost money in the scheme, as stated during the trial.

Jackson and Hurt, along with others, defrauded individuals, including Connecticut residents, who wired funds to them in anticipation of receiving large business loans. The upfront fees were alternately described as “application fees,” “collateral fees” or “commitment fees” and promised to be refunded if their loan transactions were not completed. To convince borrowers that the loans were legitimate, Jackson referred them to the name and phone number of a co-conspirator as a reference. The co-conspirator falsely represented that she had received funding from Jackson for a construction loan, successfully completing the project.

On Dec. 22, 2014, a federal grand jury returned an 11-count indictment charging Jackson and Hurt with multiple counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The indictment also charged Hurt with one count of making a false statement to federal law enforcement.

Jackson was previously convicted of federal bank fraud and money laundering offenses in October 2006 and was sentenced to 41 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. He was released from federal prison in September 2009 and operated this advance fee fraud scheme while on supervised release.

A forfeiture hearing is scheduled for Oct. 27, 2015, during which the government will order the defendants to forfeit all proceeds traceable to the scheme. A sentencing will be scheduled following the forfeiture hearing.

The charges of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud carry a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years on each count, and the charge of making a false statement to federal law enforcement carries a maximum term of imprisonment of five years.

Jackson has been detained since his arrest on Aug. 26, 2014, and Hurt has been released on bond under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office.