WAILUKU — An Australian national who used aliases while “living the rich and famous lifestyle” and making financial deals has been sentenced to a 10-year prison term.

The sentence was imposed May 9 on Adam Nettlefold, 34, who was arrested in May 2017 in Wailea.

“This defendant has led a life claiming to be a financial guru, and that involved sales of stock in companies he did not own,” said Deputy Prosecutor Jeffery Temas. “He was on federal authorities’ radar for several years, but nothing was ever prosecuted.

“He continued his financial shenanigans.”

Nettlefold had pleaded no contest to two counts of second-degree identity theft, second-degree theft, second-degree forgery, unauthorized possession of confidential personal information and three counts of sale or manufacture of deceptive identification documents.

The crimes occurred from December 2016 to May 2017, according to an indictment.

A plea agreement between the defense and prosecution recommended probation for Nettlefold.

That would have allowed him to be immediately deported to Australia, where he has unresolved legal issues, said Deputy Public Defender Zach Raidmae.

“I should never have left treatment or left Australia,” Nettlefold said in court. “I should never have done these wrong and selfish things to the victims.”

In sentencing Nettlefold to prison, 2nd Circuit Judge Rhonda Loo said: “Nothing indicates he’s absolutely done with his criminal conduct. All he did was change geographical locations from Australia to here.”

“After your minimum term is set, the authorities can take you back to Australia,” she told Nettlefold.

Temas said Nettlefold began using aliases, first in Australia, after “his real name became such a liability.”

He obtained a fake driver’s license from the “dark web” and used it to open bank accounts, Temas said.

He said Nettlefold negotiated the sale of a delisted public shell company for $17,500.

Attorneys said Nettlefold’s family provided the money to pay back the victim in the Republic of Mauritius on the southeast coast of Africa.

Temas said Maui police detectives began investigating Nettlefold after a woman who had met him found his multiple aliases and passports and reported the suspicious activity to police. The woman said Nettlefold had wanted to invest her savings for her.

At the time, he was renting a $1.5 million Wailea condominium for $7,000 a month, Temas said.

Judge Loo said Nettlefold was “basically living the rich and famous lifestyle.”

“Maybe now you’re famous, but you’re not rich,” she told Nettlefold.

* Lila Fujimoto can be reached at lfujimoto@mauinews.com.