Utility chief in north Florida sentenced to 4 years in prison for privatization scheme

The former head of a north Florida public utility was sentenced to four years in prison for a scheme to privatize the authority which prosecutors said would have enriched himself and his associates by tens of millions of dollars at the expense of taxpayers. Aaron Zahn was sentenced to federal prison on Tuesday after being found guilty at a trial earlier this year of conspiracy and wire fraud. Zahn’s defense attorney had argued that the plan never came to fruition and the scheme involving the Jacksonville Electric Authority, also known as JEA, never paid anything out.