A Pine businessman and self-professed doctor who frequently moved in Pittsburgh's socialite circles was sentenced to federal prison today for bilking a St. Louis-based chemical company out of millions of dollars. Timothy Alan Heffner was sentenced to 18 months in jail and ordered to pay a $7,500 fine by Senior U.S. District Judge Gustave Diamond. Heffner pleaded guilty in July to federal conspiracy and tax evasion charges. He also was ordered to pay the remaining $139,000 due in restitution to Sigma-Aldrich. Heffner has already repaid the company nearly $2 million. Representatives with the Internal Revenue Service are still determining how much Heffner owes for an outstanding tax liability of up to $1.2 million. Heffner was accused of falsely representing himself as a medical doctor running BioTechnology Corp. of America, a chemical supply company he ran out of his basement. Prosecutors said he defrauded Sigma-Aldrich out of at least $2.1 million by buying rare chemicals from the company at discounts and selling the products back at inflated prices. Robert Wandler, a Sigma-Aldrich employee, worked with Heffner as an insider. Heffner agreed to cooperate against Wandler. Heffner was well-known for his fundraising work for charities such as Dapper Dan and Amen Corner.

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