FORT LAUDERDALE — Former CHiPs star Larry Wilcox was sentenced Friday to three years' probation for conspiring to commit securities fraud, the Associated Press reports.
The actor, who starred opposite Erik Estrada as California Highway Patrol officer Jonathan "Jon" Baker on the popular '70s TV series, must also perform 500 hours of community service and pay a fine of $100.
Wilcox, 63, pleaded guilty in November to securities fraud conspiracy after getting caught up in an FBI sting operation in South Florida.
The Securities and Exchange Commission said Wilcox was involved in one of several kickback operations run by more than a dozen small-company stock promoters, who offered to pay pension-fund managers or stockbrokers for using client funds to buy penny stocks.
Wilcox was facing up to five years in jail for the scam, but was spared because of his clean record and willingness to cooperate in the case.
"I think we got an individual who is truly remorseful," U.S. District Judge James I. Cohn said. "He should not be punished because of his celebrity status."
Wilcox, a former Marine who served in Vietnam, recently filed for bankruptcy.
Photo credit: NBC
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