''These guys were phenomenal marketers and spun things to keep their victims distracted,'' Silverman said. ''If I hadn't seen it, I wouldn't have believed people were this evil.''
Even John Heath claims he was a victim. His attorney, Chad Firetag, said his client had so much trust in his son that he plowed his commissions back into the investments.
''I think his unwavering trust is probably why he is in the spot he's in,'' Firetag said. ''There are things that Dan kept to himself and didn't even share with his own father and family.''
Phone messages left for Daniel Heath's attorney, Barry Bernstein, and O'Brien's lawyer, Joel Renk, were not immediately returned.
Retired electrician Joseph Risse thought he had done his due diligence before investing hundreds of thousands of dollars with Heath. He said he called other investors and checked with the Better Business Bureau. Everything appeared to check out.
But in the spring of 2004, he stopped receiving statements from Heath's company. Turns out, the firm had been closed by a federal court after a Securities and Exchange Commission investigation. Several months later, the Heaths were arrested.
Risse said he never received a single check.
''The air just goes out of you,'' said Risse, 63, of Whittier. ''There's nothing you can do.''
Miller said he liked Daniel Heath after meeting him in 1995 at a church where Heath sang in the choir. He also was attracted by the fact that Heath's father, a man about his own age, was helping out with the business.
Like Risse, Miller went to a seminar hosted by Heath where he was told about the company's investments and invited to take advantage of future consultations.
Miller put some of his money into a resort in the San Bernardino Mountains after being promised annual returns of 9 percent. He said he received some monthly payments, but a large chunk of the money he entrusted with Heath was never returned.
Senior advocacy groups said the promise of few risks with high returns should be a red flag. Before turning over any money, investors should check with state regulators to ensure the business is legitimate.
''Don't just take the word of the glossy charts and brochures that the investment is sound,'' said Sally Hurme, an attorney at AARP who works on investor protection issues.
People considering investments should make sure on their own that products being offered are registered, salespeople are licensed, and there are no complaints on record, she said.
If Heath investors had looked a little further, they would have found the California Department of Corporations had served the business with a 1998 order to stop selling unregistered securities without a license.
Investors have had some money returned, but a court-appointed receiver said they will get only about 22 cents on every dollar.
Miller said he would like to go to Friday's sentencing but doesn't have anyone to take him to the courthouse.
Still, he has some choice words for John Heath and the others convicted of stealing his money.
''I'd let them know they wrecked part of my life and I hope they never get out of prison,'' he said.