AUBURN - A judge ordered a documentary producer to repay more than $500,000 owed to the heirs of a local man - Marilyn Monroe's first husband, James Dougherty - and investors in a little-seen film, "Marilyn's Man."

Lawyers proved "substantial fraud," Androscoggin County Superior Court Justice Joyce Wheeler said at a Thursday morning hearing.

Documentary producer Schani Krug proved nothing.

The man who promised investors the film would be seen by millions was a no-show at the hearing. So were his lawyers. The court proceeding lasted less than an hour.

Wheeler found in favor of the heirs and investors, saying Krug had to repay their money with interest.

Krug spent about $475,000 in film proceeds on himself, said Daniel Nuzzi, a Lewiston lawyer representing some of the investors.

The money went for haircuts, lawn care, child support, massages and dating services, Nuzzi said, citing seized bank records.

Does he expect to recover any of the money? Not a dime, Nuzzi said.

"He is a professional con man," said Jayson Baron, a Pennsylvania man who invested nearly $200,000 in the film. "He told you what you wanted to hear. He was a very good salesman."

The Sun Journal was unable to reach Krug Thursday for comment. However, in a 2006 interview, the filmmaker called the investors' allegations "ludicrous."

The documentary was made in 2003 intended for a theatrical release in August 2004 on the 42nd anniversary of Monroe's death.

Dougherty, whose health was failing at the time, had hoped that the documentary would portray the film icon as he knew her, "as a sweet, honest and generous girl." The Auburn man, who married Monroe when she was 16, died in 2006.

Few audiences ever saw the film.

Krug made a deal with a cash-strapped distributor, Empire Films, which folded. A DVD was released in Japan and Australia. Then it disappeared.

Payments on investments were never sent, even as the meager profits accrued.

Investors such as Armand Mayrand, a retiree from Portsmouth who'd invested $10,000, were left with big holes in their bank accounts.

"He had the gift of gab," Mayrand said Thursday. Krug was so convincing that Mayrand unwittingly brought a friend into the alleged con.

"I feel so guilty," he said.

Linda Spicer of Brewer invested $10,000 but refused when the producer returned with a request for $5,000 more.

She hopes the case will prevent other people from losing their money, she said.

"I would like to see him in jail," she said. "Bagged and tagged."

Baron said he too believes he will never see his money again, but he pressed for a court resolution anyway.

"It's not about the money," he said. "It's about justice."