Movie studio con artist Carissa Carpenter wins early release from prison

Citing the dangers of the coronavirus at the federal prison where Carissa Carpenter is serving her fraud sentence, a Sacramento judge has ordered an early release for the con artist who swindled millions from her victims as she touted her dream of building a Northern California movie studio.

Carpenter, 57, has repeatedly sought release from the 78-month sentence she received on Nov. 16, 2018, a term that was estimated to keep her incarcerated until February 2023.

But the pandemic and its effect on the federal prison in Texas where she is serving her sentence resulted in U.S. District Judge Troy L. Nunley finding that there are “extraordinary and compelling reasons” for her release. As a result, he ordered her sentence be modified to time-served and that she serve two more years in home confinement with electronic monitoring.

“Defendant shall be restricted to her residence at all times except for employment; education; religious services; medical, substance abuse, or mental health treatment; attorney visits; court appearances; court-ordered obligations; or other activities as pre-approved by the probation officer,” Nunley wrote.

Carpenter recovered from COVID-19

The judge noted that Carpenter’s previous requests for release had been denied, but said the ongoing pandemic changes things. Carpenter contracted the virus and recovered from it, but the judge noted that six other inmates at Federal Medical Center Carswell have died, 522 inmates have recovered from the virus and three are currently infected.

“In sum, circumstances have changed since the court’s previous ruling,” the judge wrote. “Not only do defendant’s age and medical conditions put her at a higher risk, but she is housed at a facility that recently experienced a significant COVID-19 outbreak.

“The prevalence of COVID-19 at this facility puts defendant at great and particularized risk due to her well-documented, serious, and ongoing heart conditions.”

Carpenter, whose conviction stemmed from a 2013 Sacramento Bee investigation of her supposed efforts to build a $2.8 billion movie studio in Dixon, a small farming town in Solano County, has blamed her health problems for years for many of her legal difficulties.

Her victims and prosecutors have questioned her claims about the precarious nature of her health, but Nunley cited her medical history in making his decision.

“Defendant is 57 years old and has a lengthy medical history, including nine past heart attacks, six pacemaker surgeries, and two surgeries to remove blood clots,” the judge wrote.

U.S. Attorney McGregor Scott’s office, which had consistently opposed her release, had no comment Thursday on the order.

Victim shocked by judge’s decision

But one of her many victims was shocked at the turn of events.

“Oh, my God,” said Sacramento resident William Bronston, who lost $75,000 to Carpenter as she used his credit cards for personal expenses while claiming she was incurring costs of pursuing her movie studio dream.

“She’s just a very dangerous person, and she’s going to come out here and because she’s such a psychopathic individual she’s going to do her number again on somebody else,” Bronston said. “She’s a hardcore grifter. She really doesn’t have control over her pathology.”

Carpenter, whose efforts never led to ground being broken at any of the proposed studio sites she pursued for nearly two decades, was ordered at sentencing to pay $3,642,755.17 in restitution to her victims. Court filings say she has paid none of it.

The Bee’s investigation found that Carpenter lured well-heeled investors nationwide into giving her millions to be part of her studio project, and that she told some she was working with Star Wars creator George Lucas. Lucas has said he did not know who she was.

The investigation also found that she had a lengthy history of unpaid bills, default judgments and liens, all while living a lavish lifestyle that included purchasing a $75,000 Mercedes-Benz and trying to buy an $18.5 million Beverly Hills mansion.

Nunley noted the impact that her crimes have had on victims.

“Defendant’s crimes undoubtedly devastated her victims — that is no less true now than it was before,” he wrote.

Judge finds no threat to community

But, he noted, she does not appear to pose a threat to the community if released.

“As to whether defendant is a danger to the community, it is undisputed that defendant’s fraud-related crimes were non-violent,” Nunley wrote. “It also bears mentioning that defendant has no prior criminal history.

“Notably, the government does not argue defendant poses a continuing danger to the community. Based on the record before the court, defendant does not appear to pose a danger to the community.”

The order does not specify where Carpenter will live, although previous court filings have indicated that a friend of hers, Southern California musician Michael Matier, had offered to give her a room in his Big Bear-area home.

This story was originally published October 1, 2020 at 10:01 AM.