By JIM BUTLER

For a decade Jerry Pearson robbed Peter to pay Paul. Now he will pay the Piper. 

More than 70 victims are owed $3.4 million by conman Pearson, of Boyce, ordered Thursday to repay them. And sent to federal prison for five years. 

Pearson, 62, stole the millions from his clients after they turned funds over to him for retirement investment, what it turned out was a Ponzi scheme. 

Pearson, who pleaded guilty to one fraud count in August, will be on three years supervised release after leaving prison. 

Pearson, promising high interest, took victims’ money for investing in self-managed IRAs, then transferred it to accounts for his personal use, prosecutors said. 

Some early investors realized gain, but it was money moved from others’ accounts, not earnings on their own investment.