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A former hotshot public relations executive in New York City accused of ensnaring celebrities in a sprawling “Ponzi-like scheme” pleaded guilty on Wednesday to trying to con his employers out of millions of dollars, authorities said.
Andrew Garson, 41, pleaded to one count of wire fraud as part of a deal that will see him pay more than $3.7 million to his victims, according to the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York’s Office. He also faces up to 20 years behind bars.
The ex-exec, who was named to PR Week’s “Top 40 Under 40” list in 2018, “betrayed his employers time and time again,” U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement. Garson repeatedly duped his company into footing the bill for charges he’d racked up while working at his previous firm, and used company credit cards for splashy personal expenses, including a $14,000 luxury watch.