On April 28, 2014, Judge Michael Anello sentenced Minkow to five years in prison, the maximum possible sentence under his plea bargain. It is to be served after Minkow completes his sentence for securities fraud. While Minkow's attorneys asked for a sentence of 41 months, Anello felt he had to impose the maximum for what he called a "despicable, inexcusable crime." On June 2, Minkow reached an agreement with federal prosecutors that called for him to pay $3.4 million in restitution. This will potentially be a ruinous amount for Minkow, on top of the restitution he still owes Lennar, Union Bank and the ZZZZ Best victims. Earlier, he said that the $26 million restitution for the ZZZZ Best scam alone was large enough that he would be writing restitution checks to the ZZZZ Best victims for the rest of his life. As a result of his latest sentence, Minkow was released on June 6, 2019.