INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A California man has been sentenced to seven years in prison for stealing nearly $5 million from Cory Redding when the defensive lineman was playing in the NFL.

Redding hired Kenneth Cleveland as a financial adviser. He had promised to handle his money conservatively, but investigators say he used it for personal use and to pay other people in a Ponzi scheme.

Cleveland, of Agoura Hills, California, was sentenced Friday in Indianapolis federal court. The government says he tried to cover up his crimes by giving Redding phony statements and other misleading information.

Redding retired in 2016 after 13 years in the NFL, mostly with the Detroit Lions and Indianapolis Colts.