Kyle Sandler is out of federal prison and still owes $1,903,000 in restitution for running a two-year scheme in Opelika that defrauded investors and disillusioned a community. He said: 'I let the community down, I let myself down, I let my family down.'
Kyle Sandler is only a few weeks out of federal prison, and he needs a job.
Sandler lost his family and 90% of his friends, he said, lying to people as he took their checks, stealing from people who called him a friend, while those same people were loaning him keys to their beach houses.“At the end of the day, I let the community down, I let myself down, I let my family down. But we were onto something great, and that’s why this was so devastating.”who formed the Roundhouse in Opelika, as a launching pad for new tech companies, in October 2014.
In fact, he had previously been arrested for theft, forgery and check fraud, and had convictions in two states for attempted theft and forgery. “I was at Eighth and Rail one night around midnight, and a guy came up to me, and he said, ‘I’ve got to get into this thing. I can write you a $20,000 check right now,’” he remembered.
FILE - In this Sept. 9, 2015 file photo, internet security pioneer John McAfee announces his candidacy for president in Opelika, Ala. McAfee became involved with a defunct operation called the Round House started by Kyle Sandler in Opelika. He briefly ran for president with the business incubator as his headquarters and Sandler as an adviser in 2016. Sandler has since pleaded guilty to federal charges in an investment scam that involved the Round House.
“At one point, we’d host a potential investor,” he said. “The check would come, and I would upgrade my car. That’s how sick and disgusting it got at the end.” Sandler called him “one of the biggest victims of my crime.” The two formed an unlikely friendship, their families bonding, he said,“This kid worked his ass off. We had to kick him out on Christmas Eve. We formed a real friendship despite our difference in age. His parents trusted me with their kid. At the end of the day, I shattered his dream and shattered our friendship. He’s going to be wildly successful going forward, but that doesn’t take away from what I did.