Lou Pearlman, the pop impresario who launched the Backstreet Boys, was jailed for 25 years yesterday for swindling $300m (£153m) out of friends, relatives, investors and major American banks.

However, Pearlman, who also launched the rival boy band 'NSYNC, pledged to help prosecute his accomplices as part of a plea agreement. His jail term will also be reduced by one month for each $1m he returns to those he defrauded.

In theory, Pearlman, 53, could cancel his sentence by repaying the $300m debt. The mogul's lawyer, Fletcher Peacock, said the 25-year term amounted to a "sentence to death in prison" for Pearlman.

The mogul admitted in his plea bargain that he enticed investments of millions of dollars into two companies – Transcontinental Airlines Travel Services Inc and Transcontinental Airlines Inc – which only existed on paper. Pearlman promoted confidence in the companies by issuing made-up financial statements from a fake accountancy firm.

During sentencing in Orlando, Florida, District Judge G Kendall Sharp held up letters from Pearlman's victims, who included "his family, close friends and people in their 70s and 80s who have lost their life savings". But the judge said: "The sympathy factor doesn't run high with the court."

I wonder if his crimes against music had anything to do with the Judges' comments & sentencing?!

NEXT WEEK; Simon Cowell gets 5,000 year jail sentence.