Former Orinda Real Estate Broker Sentenced To 12 Years In Prison

A former Orinda real estate broker was sentenced Friday to 12 years, 8 months in state prison for bilking clients out of nearly $2 million.

The judge gave Carl Miller, 49, the maximum sentence possible for his conviction last month on four counts of grand theft by embezzlement, three counts of filing false documents at a government office and one count of forgery.

Contra Costa Superior Court Judge Barbara Zuniga also ordered Miller to pay restitution of $1.8 million to the victims in the case. She also ordered that any money Miller earns with jobs in prison be given to the victims.

Ken McCormick, deputy district attorney in charge of real estate fraud, said the punishment was warranted because this case was the largest loss of money through embezzlement in the county in 29 years.

"This is a very heavy white collar sentence," said McCormick.

Miller is expected to be transferred from Contra Costa County Jail to state prison sometime this week. He's eligible for release with good behavior in 6 years, 4 months. Once he's released he'll be on parole for three years.

McCormick said more than a half-dozen victims testified at Friday's sentencing. He said Miller also spoke and apologized for his actions.