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Utah sentenced to jail, must pay $10 million for cell phone scheme

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Utah sentenced to jail, must pay  million for cell phone scheme


SALT LAKE CITY — A man convicted of defrauding investors in a Utah cell phone scheme will spend nearly five years in prison.

A judge sentenced Chad Leon Sayers, age 60, on Monday in Utah’s U.S. District Court. According to court documents, Sayers defrauded hundreds of investors out of $10 million over the course of a decade.

He reportedly told them, fraudulently, that his cell phone company SAYGUS was close to a multi-billion-dollar payout.

Early intentions could have been legit

Ruth Hackford-Peer with the U. S. Attorneys office said Sayers may have started out believing he was going to develop a smartphone.

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Sayers reportedly told his investors he was developing a smartphone he called the “V” phone. He later called it the “V-Squared,” and claimed it would be sold and supported by his company, SAYGUS.

And he tempted investors by telling them they could see a return that was 100 times more than their original investment.

“He also put a lot of money in trying to launch this phone, and sending money to China for the development of this phone,” Hackford-Peer said.

Sayers reportedly  gave investors multiple launch dates that never materialized.

Indeed, the U.S. Attorneys office said Sayers never manufactured the phones.

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‘This is not the place’ for a cell phone scheme

Instead, Sayers reportedly used the money to rent a 25,000 square foot office space, and to buy an expensive car.

Sayers will spend 56 months in prison.

Hackford-Peer said the ruling can be seen as the federal court warning others that Utah is not the place to launch a fraud.

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Multiple earthquakes detected near Kanosh

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Multiple earthquakes detected near Kanosh


KANOSH, Utah — The United States Geological Survey recorded multiple earthquakes near Kanosh Sunday morning, each of them having an average magnitude of 3.0.

The first earthquake, magnitude 3.0, was detected just after 12:30 a.m., with the epicenter located half a mile south of Kanarraville.

The second quake, magnitude 3.2, was detected around 5:45 a.m., with the epicenter nearly five miles south-southwest of Kanosh. This was followed by two more quakes in the same area, a magnitude 2.5 quake coming in around 6:35 a.m., followed by a third around 7:45 a.m, which measured at magnitude 3.3.

This has since been followed by another quake, measuring at magnitude 3.7, being detected around 8:45 a.m. The geographic location in the USGS report places the epicenter approximately over two miles south of the Dry Wash Trail, about six miles south-southwest of Kanosh.

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FOX 13 News previously spoke with researchers at University of Utah, who said that earthquake swarms are relatively common. A study published in 2023 posits that swarms may be triggered by geothermal activity. The findings came after a series of seismic swarms were detected in central Utah, within the vicinity of three geothermal power plants.

The study also says that the swarms fall into a different category than aftershocks that typically follow large quakes, such as the magnitude 5.7 earthquake that hit the Wasatch Fault back in 2020.





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Embattled Utah Rep. Trevor Lee loses county GOP convention — but wins enough support to make primary

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Embattled Utah Rep. Trevor Lee loses county GOP convention — but wins enough support to make primary


Earlier in the week, House Speaker Mike Schultz said lawmakers asked the attorney general to investigate allegations of fraud and bribery against Lee.

(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Rep. Trevor Lee, R-Layton, running for reelection, addresses delegates during the Davis County Republican Party nominating convention at Syracuse High School on Saturday, April 18, 2026.



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A new bar brings the Himalayas to the foot of Big Cottonwood Canyon

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A new bar brings the Himalayas to the foot of Big Cottonwood Canyon


Also from Utah Eats: A Utah baker ends his run on a Food Network competition; Lucky Slice’s territory grows.

(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) The Yeti, a Himalayan-themed bar in Cottonwood Heights, is pictured on Wednesday, April 8, 2026.



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