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by Mike Caswell

A federal judge in Los Angeles has imposed a jail term of two years and four months on Jonathan Mikula, an analyst charged for a scheme with Avtar Dhillon's Emerald Health Pharmaceuticals Inc. from 2021. Mr. Mikula helped promote the company with claims such as "Curing Incurable Diseases and Giving Us Over 4,900% Potential Gains" while failing to disclose his compensation. He was part of a group that accepted $4.2-million in undisclosed payments from insiders to boost Emerald Health and other companies. (All figures are in U.S. dollars.)

Mr. Mikula's sentence is set out in a judgment handed down on Oct. 21, 2025, in federal court in California. In addition to the jail term, the judge has ordered Mr. Mikula, who lives in Georgia, to serve one year of probation. He must report to prison by Jan. 5, 2026.

The jail term falls somewhat short of the three years that prosecutors had requested ahead of sentencing. They said that Mr. Mikula "profited handsomely" for helping to run a sophisticated touting operation. They claimed that he received payments in the form of sham consulting agreements and through other "sophisticated means" to disguise the payments. On top of that, he received "undisclosed compensation in the form of lavish meals, beverages, and entertainment at exclusive restaurants and clubs," the government claimed.

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