Waterpark developer sentence: 4 yrs

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- A Twin Cities waterpark developer has been sentenced to more than four years in prison for conspiring to defraud the United States.

U.S. District Judge Ann Montgomery also on Wednesday ordered 53-year-old Jeffrey Wirth to pay nearly $6.5 million in restitution.

Wirth pleaded guilty in May to one count of conspiracy to defraud the U.S. Prosecutors had sought a five-year sentence.

The St. Paul Pioneer Press reports Wirth's attorney says he will appeal the restitution amount.

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In entering his guilty plea, Wirth said he and his ex-wife, Holly Damiani, used The Wirth Companies and other businesses to fund a lavish lifestyle, including $2 million to buy an island in Lake Minnetonka.

Damiani and Wirth's tax preparer, Michael James Murry, await sentencing after pleading guilty to tax-related charges.

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Information from: St. Paul Pioneer Press