January 1, Radio host receives three life sentences for scamming listeners

William Neil “Doc” Gallagher, a Texas radio host, received three life sentences for a Ponzi scheme, in which he scammed elderly listeners out of millions of dollars.

“Doc Gallagher is one of the worst offenders I have seen,” said Lori Varnell, chief of the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Elder Financial Fraud team.

More than a dozen victims testified about losing anywhere from $50,000 to $600,000 invested in the Gallagher Financial Group. Some said they had to borrow money from their children, take part-time jobs, or sell their homes.

District Judge Elizabeth Beach also served Gallagher, 80, with a 30-year prison sentence, all of which are to be served concurrently.

Gallagher and his financial group advertised on Christian radio with the slogan “See you in church on Sunday.” He has been behind bars since 2019 on similar charges in Dallas County, and he pled guilty to those charges in 2020 and received a 25-year sentence. He was indicted in Tarrant County in August 2019.

“He ruthlessly stole from his clients who trusted him for almost a decade. He amassed $32 million in loss to all of his clients and exploited many elder individuals. He worked his way around churches preying on people who believed he was a Christian,” Varnell said.

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Radio host gets 3 life prison terms for bilking listeners