Ex-broker’s prison time piles up after he disputes sentence

A former investment broker serving time for swindling investors in 2013 was sentenced to five additional years in prison Friday for failing to appear for the last day of his trial.

Alan Lucas, 43, already serving a 25-year sentence, again tried to argue his case in the original conviction, as he has during every hearing. The judge heard him out, then sentenced him to another five years.

Sixth Judicial District Judge Christopher Bruns told Lucas he would consider only what is relevant to the new case. Bruns said it didn't matter if Lucas didn't agree with the charges, he still should have appeared for the trial.

'We urge people to use the system, not misuse it,” Bruns said.

Linn County Attorney Jerry Vander Sanden asked the judge to run the five years consecutively because Lucas attempted to undermine the integrity of the system and 'thwart” efforts of the court, 'thumbing his nose at the justice system.”

Judge Paul Miller found Lucas guilty of failure to appear in February.

Lucas was convicted in 2013 of ongoing criminal conduct and first-degree theft. He was charged with failure to appear when he didn't show up for the last day of that trial.

According to previous hearings, Lucas fled to Wisconsin, and his attorney told the court he didn't know what happened with his client. Lucas' mother told a judge her son had bought a plane ticket to India and was going to leave the country. Authorities arrested him in Wisconsin, and he fought extradition to Iowa for several months.

According to trial testimony, Lucas bought Covenant Investment Fund from associate Noah Aulwes in May 2010. Aulwes then transferred nearly $190,000 from the fund to Lucas, but the 40 investors were not informed of the transaction.

Lucas then took the investors' funds and paid off his personal credit card, rent for his company Asherlee Management, property taxes, and purchased a BMW and other items, according to trial testimony.

Aulwes, 58, of Cedar Rapids, was convicted of securities fraud and other charges in December 2012. He was sentenced to 10 years but was paroled in 2013.