A conman who netted $30 million by targeting actor Danny Glover and a civil rights group is facing up to 20 years in jail.

Samuel Cohen, 53, approached Lethal Weapon star Glover when the actor was a director of the Vanguard Public Foundation in 2002, offering to allow the organization to profit from a Microsoft buyout of his software company.

Glover introduced Cohen to Vanguard president Hari Dillon, and they eventually invested a total of $30 million in Cohen's company - but the Microsoft deal didn't exist and Cohen was no longer even working for the business he claimed was about to be sold.

A court in San Francisco, California heard Cohen spent the profits of the scam on flashy cars, priceless gems, private jets, and a luxury home.

On Wednesday, he was found guilty of 29 counts of fraud, tax evasion and money laundering. He is due to be sentenced in February.