A former stock broker was sentenced to prison today for his role in an extensive pump-and-dump stock manipulation scheme, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department's Criminal Division , U.S. Attorney Danny C. Williams Sr. of the Northern District of Oklahoma, Special Agent in Charge James E. Finch of the FBI's Oklahoma City Division and Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Chief Richard Weber. Joshua Wayne Lankford, 39, of Dallas, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge James H. Payne in the Northern District of Oklahoma to serve 84 months in prison. In addition to his prison term, Lankford was ordered to forfeit $250,000. Proceeds from forfeited assets will be used to partially restitute victims. On Dec. 10, 2012, Lankford pleaded guilty to one count of money laundering. "Mr. Lankford and his co-conspirators took advantage of innocent investors to the tune of millions of dollars, pumping and dumping penny stocks without regard to anything but their wallets," said Acting Assistant Attorney General Raman. "As this case shows, stockbrokers and other professionals will be punished if they break the law. Lankford now faces substantial time in prison for his manipulation scheme." "The U.S. Attorney's Office and the Department of Justice are committed to identifying and prosecuting criminals who defraud investors and steal their savings," said U.S. Attorney Williams. "Pump and dump schemes like these have a devastating financial impact on the victims and undermine public confidence in our nation's financial system." According to court documents and evidence presented at the 2010 trial, Lankford and his co-defendants manipulated the stocks of three companies: Deep Rock Oil & Gas Inc. and Global Beverage Solutions Inc., formerly known as