Austin Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Wire Fraud and Money Laundering

AUSTIN, Texas - An Austin man was sentenced today to 41 months in federal prison for four counts of wire fraud and money laundering, announced U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas.

According to court documents, John Stuart Robison, 63, convinced an investor to pay $1 million into a business bank account controlled solely by Robison. Robinson represented the money would go to benefit the University of Austin. The money was to be kept in an escrow account unless and until Robison raised an additional $1 million.

As part of the scheme, Robison lied to the investor about land that Robison controlled or had under option. Robison also presented false option contracts for property and claimed that all monies spent on the project were from Robison's personal accounts.

One day after the money was wired into the business account, Robison fraudulently transferred $250,000 into another of his bank accounts. This money was used to benefit Robison rather than the University of Austin. Within a few months of the receipt of the wired funds, Robison had essentially spent the entire $1 million.

Robison was indicted on Nov. 18, 2025, for one count of wire fraud and three counts of engaging in monetary transactions in criminally derived property. He was arrested three days later. In July, Robison was convicted on all four counts in a federal jury trial. In addition to the 41-month imprisonment, U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman ordered Robison to pay $1 million in restitution.

The FBI and Austin Police Department investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dan Guess and Britni Verdeja prosecuted the case.

###