By Staff reports

Former Charleston Southern University professor Al Parish, who pleaded guilty earlier this month to scamming investors out of nearly $100 million, has yet to receive a sentencing date.

Parish pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud and lying to investigators. He faces up to 45 years in prison.

Parish, who made a name for himself around Charleston through his annual economic forecasts, his loud clothes and penchant for collecting everything from Mont Blanc pens to garden gnomes, will be formally sentenced at a later date.

Probation officers must complete a sentencing report first for U.S. District Judge David Norton, who is expected to weigh the testimony of Parish’s investors, many of whom lost their life savings as a result of his deeds.

The maximum sentence Parish may ultimately receive will be 45 years. If he had been convicted of all 11 charges after a trial, he would have faced a potential sentence of 205 years.

When the investigation was begun in April, Parish claimed to have amnesia.

Authorities said Parish was not registered with the state or with the Securities and Exchange Commission to deal in securities, and that he promised investors returns far beyond Wall Street’s typical expectations. He was fired from his position as economics professor at Charleston Southern University when the scandal was uncovered.

In July, an auction of Parish’s estate brought in about $2.35 million, only a fraction of the

money that Parish is said to have lost.

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