A California man was sentenced Tuesday to 30 years in prison after pleading guilty to one of the biggest criminal fraud schemes in the state, according to the U.S. Justice Department. 

Jeff Carpoff, 50, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering in connection with the billion dollar Ponzi scheme in January of last year.

Carpoff was an owner of DC Solar, which manufactured solar generators that "were promoted as able to provide emergency power to cellphone towers and lighting at sporting events," according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California. 

The generators were attractive to investors because they came with generous federal tax credits since they were solar. 

But investors, unbeknownst to them, were paying into a circular scheme, in which new investor money was being used to pay previous investors, the statement said. 

"At least half of the approximately 17,000 mobile solar generators claimed to have been manufactured by DC Solar did not exist," the statement said. 

“Jeff Carpoff orchestrated the largest criminal fraud scheme in the history of the Eastern District of California,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip Talbert. “He claimed to be an innovator in alternative energy, but he was really just stealing money from investors and costing the American taxpayer hundreds of millions in tax credits."

The U.S. Attorney's office said Carpoff led a luxurious lifestyle with the money bilked from investors. 

He bought a NASCAR team, a minor-league professional baseball team, international real estate, a suite at a professional football stadium and a subscription to a private jet service.

He also had luxury and collector vehicles — including a 1978 Firebird previously owned by actor Burt Reynolds — which were seized by the government and sold in a "historical auction" recouping $8.233 million for investors, prosecutors said. 

Six other defendants, including Carpoff's wife, Paulette, have been charged with criminal offenses related to the fraud scheme. Paulette Carpoff pleaded guilty to conspiracy and money laundering charges and is scheduled to be sentenced later this month. She faces up to 15 years in prison. 

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