Woman pleads guilty in fake Northern California studio scheme

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The woman who spent roughly 17 years boasting about the construction of a multibillion-dollar movie studio in Northern California that didn’t exist has pleaded guilty to mail fraud and lying to federal agents, officials announced Thursday.

Carissa Carpenter, 55, pleaded guilty roughly two decades after investigators first looked into allegations that she bilked her investors and firms of millions of dollars under the guise of supporting the bogus project while maintaining her “extravagant lifestyle,” according to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California.

She allegedly told investors at the start of the scheme that not only did she invest hundreds of millions of dollars in her own money, she had economic backing from people in the entertainment industry, and all she needed was bridge loans to keep her afloat until the project was finalized. Carpenter’s claims were false, according to prosecutors.

Carpenter, of Malibu, is believed to have instead used the millions of dollars gained from investors toward her personal expenses, officials said.

Heavy-hitters in the entertainment industry were either not involved at all or had little involvement, and only preliminary work had been done by architectural, construction, design and public relations firms.

Officials said the locations of the fake project included just north of Sacramento in El Dorado Hills, north of the Sacramento International Airport in Sutter County, Lathrop in San Joaquin County, the former naval base on Mare Island, Dixon in Solano County and other locations.

Carpenter did not own or purchase any property for the studio, officials said.

In July 2013, Carpenter allegedly lied to an agent with the FBI by claiming that she assured her investors that their money would be used for personal expenses. She also falsely told the agent she had spent between 50 and 75 percent of the money provided by investors, officials said.

Carpenter was indicted in 2014.

Personnel with the FBI collaborated with the Internal Revenue Service. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Todd Pickles and Rosanne Rust are prosecuting the case against Carpenter.

Carpenter is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Garland Burrell, Jr. on Sept. 28.

She faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, or twice the gross loss or gain for the two counts of mail fraud. Carpenter faces up to five years in prison for making a false statement to a government agent, officials said.

Lauren Hernandez is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: lauren.hernandez@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @LaurenPorFavor