Two business partners who misused money intended for building new homes in Baltimore County were sentenced Friday to eight years in prison, with five of those years suspended, the state attorney general's office said. Walter Osborne Ely Jr., 46, and sister Kimberly Zahrey, 44, were also ordered to pay $188,768 to 19 victims after they get out. The state is pursuing a separate civil case against the siblings to try to get more money back. The state said the two, operating as JAE Developers, took payments as large as $50,000 from clients and spent the money on expenses with no connection to the buyers' homes.
- Jamie Smith Hopkins | The Baltimore Sun