Polygamous leader Lyle Jeffs was sentenced to nearly five years for food stamp fraud.
Polygamous sect leader Lyle Jeffs was sentenced to nearly five years behind bars for what authorities have called the country’s largest food stamp fraud.
U. S. District Court Judge Ted Steward on Wednesday also handed Jeffs three years probation and required him to pay $1 million in restitution to the U. S. Department of Agriculture, the Salt Lake Tribune reported.
Jeffs in September pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to commit SNAP — or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — fraud and failure to appear as part of a plea deal.
He was released to home confinement to await his trial, but in June 2016 slipped off his ankle monitor with the help of some olive oil. He remained on the run for nearly a year.
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Authorities arrested him in South Dakota after a pair of pawn shop workers recognized him while he attempted to sell his pliers.
Jeffs was reportedly living out his pickup truck at the time.
The former bishop with the Fundamentalist LDS church was accused of ordering and pressuring other congregation members to funnel millions in SNAP benefits into a communal store and other front properties.
Prosecutors argued Jeffs stole almost $12 million from the program — which many still call food stamps — while the defense contended it was closer to $2 million.
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“I acknowledge my mistake and my decision making and how it affected the law,” Jeffs told the judge. “I humbly accept responsibilities for my actions.”
The religious leader was among 11 others accused in the scheme, all of whom have since taken plea deals or seen their charges dismissed.
