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Man gets 9 years for defrauding Fla.

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TALLAHASSEE (AP) – A man who defrauded Florida of $5.7 million has been sentenced to nine years and one month in federal prison.

U.S. District Judge Stephan P. Mickle on Monday also ordered 36-year-old Ali Hammoud to pay full restitution to the state.

Hammoud pleaded guilty to four counts of wire fraud and one of aggravated identity theft.

He had sent the state a form that diverted payments intended for paving contractor Anderson Columbia Construction Co. into accounts under his control.

Employees of Anderson Columbia and a bank uncovered the scheme. Hammoud was arrested in Miami while trying to board a flight to Lebanon last year.