Several soldiers who were bilked out of thousands of dollars by a former Fort Carson sergeant are expected to testify Friday at his sentencing hearing.

Delroy Henry, 39, faces up to 12 years in prison when he is sentenced at 9 a.m. by 4th Judicial District Judge Kirk Samelson.

On Dec. 15, Henry pleaded guilty to 52 counts of securities fraud stemming from a Ponzi scheme in which he promised investors an 18 percent return on their money.

But the scheme could only last as long as Henry was able to find new investors to pay for the returns on the earlier investments, prosecutors said.

“I’m tired of wasting the people’s time, your honor,” Henry said when he entered his plea. “I’m trying to move on with my life. I want to make sure all the victims can move on with their lives.”

Investigators said they were able to locate 97 victims, many of whom had served with Henry in Iraq.

As part of a plea agreement, Henry agreed to pay restitution to the victims and to be interviewed by investigators in order to determine if others were involved in the scheme.

Henry was a decorated combat medic with the 4th Infantry Division’s 3rd Brigade Combat Team, according to his Army record.

He joined in 1992 and served overseas in the Balkans and twice in Iraq. He is a five-time recipient of the Army Commendation Medal and the Army Achievement Medal.

For more court coverage, visit “The Sidebar” blog at http://thesidebar.freedomblogging.com.

WEATHER

The National Weather Service is calling for a 60 percent chance of snow and rain Friday in the Pikes Peak region. The local high temperature is expected to hit 44 degrees.

Daytime snow could bring up to 2 inches of accumulation, according to the weather service, before temperatures fall into the 20s and the chance for precipitation falls Friday night.

AROUND COLORADO

4 arrested after double killing appear in court(AP) — Four men arrested in an investigation into a double killing in Douglas County have been formally charged.

The four appeared in court Thursday. They were arrested after Amara Wells, 38, and Robert Rafferty Jr., 49, were found dead in a home Feb. 23.

The charges remain sealed, but court records indicate Wells’ estranged husband, Christopher B. Wells, 49, was being held on charges including first-degree murder after deliberation.

Records indicate Josiah Sher, 26, who is a sergeant in the Army Reserve, Matthew Plake, 26, and Micah Woody, 29, also face charges of first-degree murder and other crimes.

Court records suggest investigators believe there was a plot to kill the two. All four jailed men worked at one time at the same Colorado Springs car dealership.

Read more about the story here.

Coloradans receive extended jobless benefits(AP) — The latest extension of jobless benefits has started to arrive for Colorado residents who had exhausted their claims.

The state labor department says the first payments last week were made to about 24,000 claimants and totaled about $1.2 million.

Colorado’s unemployment rate is 8.8 percent.

Federal audit blasts Denver airport deal(AP) — A scathing federal audit blasts Denver’s Stapleton airport redevelopment deal, saying that the Federal Aviation Administration gave up $71 million in revenue by selling off land at the old Stapleton International Airport at less than half its value.

The audit was performed by an inspector general of the Department of Transportation and released to the public on Thursday.

The audit says the FAA failed to properly oversee Denver city officials as they sold off parcels after Denver International Airport replaced Stapleton in 1995.

FAA officials disagreed with all the audit’s conclusions, especially the assertion that the land was undervalued.

An FAA spokesman agreed the Stapleton land value has risen since the 1999 deal, but insisted the deal was good based on appraisals at the time.

BLM lists parcels for Colorado oil, gas lease sale(AP) — The Bureau of Land Management plans to offer 12 parcels in northwest Colorado at an oil and gas lease sale scheduled May 12.

The parcels total 7,045 acres. Eleven tracts are in Rio Blanco County and one is in Garfield County.

The deadline to submit protests on any parcel being offered is March 14.

OSHA proposes fines for Ifco Systems facility(AP) — Federal workplace safety regulators have proposed $67,765 in fines for an Ifco Systems pallet recycling facility in Henderson.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration says the proposed fines include $50,000 for allegedly failing to provide adequate machine guarding on a band saw.

OSHA says Ifco Systems facilities have received citations for that before in other states. OSHA Denver area director Herb Gibson says proper machine guarding helps prevent amputation injuries.

OSHA also issued five serious citations to the Henderson facility for other alleged violations including a lack of machine guarding on a table saw and exposure of employees to excessive noise.

The company didn’t immediately return an e-mail from The Associated Press on Thursday asking whether it planned to contest the citations.

HAPPENINGS

– “First Friday Artwalk,” 5-8 p.m., Jeannie Breeding Fine Art Studio I, Second Floor Studios, 2418 W. Colorado Ave., free.  

Lindsey Vonn, of Vail, cleared a gate Oct. 27 during the first run of an alpine ski, women’s World Cup giant slalom, in Soelden, Austria. Photo by AP Photo/Alessandro Trovati, File