In a golf paradise, investors say a golf cart salesman took them for a financial ride

Amy DiPierro|Palm Springs Desert SunIn the summer of 1995, Michael Booth was at the top of his game.At 33, he hob-knobbed with PGA pros, was known to drive a Ferrariand even golfed well enough to notch a near-record score in the first round of a tournament he attended in Spokane, Washington. He had a reputation around the golf course as a smooth talker and a free spender.But Booth was about to play himself into the rough.In 1995, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy, leading to an 18-month prison sentence. After getting out, he had a few years without trouble – until in 2001, when he was convicted of siphoning more than $2 million from the customers of his equipment-leasing business.Booth’s second offense got him 13 1/2 years in prison. And almost as soon as he was released in 2012, he moved to the Coachella Valley.Since then, Booth has transformed into a custom golf cart salesman. He runs Lacern Performance Golf Cars, a golf cart shop with showrooms in Rancho Mirage and Palm Desert.But beg...