A British court found two men guilty of posing as comedian Ricky Gervais to transfer nearly $377,060 out of his bank account.
Prosecutors said Kenneth Speight, 39, and Craig Reeves, 30, had planned to use the stolen money to buy gold bullion. The bullion dealer suspected identity fraud and the pair were arrested when they showed up to collect the gold.
On Wednesday, Judge Mervyn Roberts sentenced Speight to 2 1/2 years in prison. Reeves received a two-year jail sentence. They were convicted of two counts each of conspiracy to defraud.
Gervais is the creator and star of the TV series "The Office."
The court heard the pair had stolen Gervais' identity by pasting his picture from the cover of "The Office" DVD into a dead man's passport.
On April 1, 2003, they sent a fax to Gervais' bank authorizing the transfer of the money. They also arranged for a man who looked like the comedian to have a lawyer sign a photocopy of the forged passport, which they needed to collect the gold bullion.