Con man faces stiff sentence for preying on homeowners

A man convicted of scamming $5.8 million from homeowners facing foreclosure in Stanislaus County and beyond could face a prison term of 24 to 30 years when he is sentenced Thursday in federal court in Sacramento.

Alan David Tikal of Brentwood and conspirators preyed on people desperate to keep their homes, advising them to pay him instead of their banks, authorities say. Tikal used the money to charter private airplanes and buy new cars and a $5,000 suit.

Many of his more than 1,000 victims lost their homes, and prosecutors will ask a judge to order Tikal, 46, to pay $3.7 million in restitution.

At sentencing proceedings, victims generally are given an opportunity to say how crimes have affected their lives. Tikal’s is scheduled to start at 9:30 a.m. Thursday in the courtroom of U.S. District Judge Troy Nunley on the 15th floor of the Robert Matsui United States Courthouse, 501 I St., Sacramento.

This story was originally published March 4, 2015 at 5:09 PM with the headline "Con man faces stiff sentence for preying on homeowners."