A Florida resident has been sentenced to prison for seven years for his role in a securities fraud scheme.

Damian Delgado, also known as Michael Neumann, 44, of Orlando, Florida, conspired with others, including Christian Meissenn and William Lieberman, to defraud investors through a stock “pump and dump” scheme.

Delgado and his co-conspirators induced investors to purchase securities by making false and misleading representations in calls, emails and press releases concerning the securities and the issuing companies, thereby causing the price of those securities to become falsely inflated. The issuing companies, which were essentially shell companies with virtually no legitimate business activities, according to the Department of Justice, were controlled by Lieberman and others.

Delgado received approximately 25 percent of all money that he induced individuals to invest. His personal gain from the scheme totaled $346,652.18. He disguised the income by having the funds flow through the trust accounts of various attorneys, including Corey Brinson in Connecticut, to bank accounts in the name of Delgado’s wife, his stepdaughter and various shell entities he and his wife controlled. Delgado’s failure to pay taxes on this income resulted in a loss of $54,080 to the Internal Revenue Service.

Delgado pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and one count of tax evasion on May 12, 2017.

In addition to making restitution to his victims, Delgado is required to pay back taxes, interest and penalties to the IRS.

Delgado, who was released on bond, was ordered to report to prison on Nov. 8.

Brinson, of Hartford, pleaded guilty to one count of engaging in a monetary transaction in property derived from specified unlawful activity on Jan. 20, 2017. He was sentenced on April 13, 2017 to 36 months in prison.

Meissenn, Lieberman and two other individuals involved in this scheme have pleaded guilty to conspiracy and tax offenses and await sentencing.