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.

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.

‘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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ST. GEORGE, Utah (ABC4) — When Micah Hyde returned to Utah after completing his two-year service mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he was greeted at the airport by his parents, his siblings — and his favorite artist.

Post Malone — a chart-topping, Grammy-nominated singer — was waiting for a flight at the St. George Regional Airport at the same time the Hyde family was waiting for Micah to land at the airport.

Micah’s family met Post Malone as the newly returned missionary was waiting to get off the plane, and relatives were able to get a video of the singer congratulating Micah on his mission.

“We were all out there talking to him, but then once we went inside I was definitely excited to see my brother because it’s been a while,” Micah’s sister Halie Hyde told ABC4.com.

The Hyde family told the singer about Micah and why they were at the airport. After reuniting with Micah, family members told him they met the singer — and then they saw Post Malone again after Micah got off the plane.

“My dad had spotted him, he was like, ‘Come over here,’ so we run over and my dad’s like, ‘Post Malone! Micah’s here!’” Micah said. “Post Malone came over and talked to me, I got a picture with him, he came up and hugged me. He was a super nice guy, just had a good conversation.”

After meeting the singer, Micah remembered he had one last Book of Mormon to hand out as a missionary. He said he grabbed the book and ran back to where the singer was going through airport security.

“I was like, ‘Post do you have one of these?’” Micah said. “And he walks back out of security over to me and he’s like, ‘No I don’t,’ and I was like, ‘Here you go.’”

Micah said he hopes this experience reminds others to learn to set aside their differences and love their neighbors.

“If Post Malone can do it — and he’s probably one of the most famous singer-songwriters out there — then I think we can all do that, and just be kind to our neighbor,” Micah said.

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — In 2022, the Utah Legislature unanimously passed H.B. 162, mandating that public and charter schools provide free period products in girls’ and unisex restrooms for grades K-12. A recent survey by The Policy Project shows that two years since its passing, the bill is having positive impacts.

The Policy Project has been lobbying for menstrual equity since 2018. The Utah-based nonprofit led the effort to pass H.B. 162, and on Tuesday it released the findings of an impact report where Utah high school students were surveyed.

The findings show that access to period products is positively affecting school attendance, with 55.7% of survey respondents saying they were able to participate in school and activities that were missed previously due to access to period products.

Additionally, the report found that there’s a strong correlation between providing period products in schools and reducing negative menstruation stigma, with 75.8% of survey respondents saying their comfort level in talking about menstruation increased.

“The Policy Project is committed not only to the passage of the bill but also to its successful implementation,” Emily Bell McCormick, founder and president of The Policy Project, said in the news release. “Thanks to the collaborative and courageous efforts of legislators, donors, and community members, the implementation of HB 162 has been both successful and comprehensive—a type of execution not seen in other states with similar legislation.”

According to The Policy Project report, nearly 1,400 students from 20 of Utah’s 29 counties responded to the survey, with no single school representing more than 10% of the survey.

Per the report, an estimated 337,000 menstruating students were impacted by H.B. 162 during the 2022-2023 school year. Additionally, the report stated that the law is expected to help more than 1.3 million students by 2065.

“This survey response was incredible, and the proof of concept is there,” Kristin Andrus, community champion of The Policy Project, said. “Although there is still room for growth in the realm of equity and empowerment for girls, it is safe to say that providing access to period products in schools is really moving the needle.”

According to The Policy Project, the responses to the survey show that H.B. 162 is fulfilling its primary goals, which were to enhance educational outcomes across the state by “increasing productivity and school attendance outcomes” and to “destigmatize menstruation through normalized access to period products.”

Nationally, a 2021 study by Thinx & PERIOD found that one in five teens in the U.S. have struggled to afford period products or were not able to purchase them at all, and more than four in five students in the U.S. missed class or knew someone who did due to lack of access to period products. It also was reported that a majority of teens said they felt shame, self-consciousness and embarrassment around their periods.

One year after the passing of H.B. 162, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and advocates with The Policy Project announced that all state executive branch buildings would now have free period products, marking Utah as the first state in the nation to make period products free in state buildings.