The U.S. Attorney’s Office in California’s eastern district has apprehended and charged a 55-year-old fugitive who had been at large for eight years after breaking out of a federal prison in the state.
According to a news release from U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert, a federal grand jury on Thursday handed a one-count indictment against San Francisco resident Eric Pree, accusing him of escaping from detention.
Pree was found guilty in 2012 of federal wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, according to Talbert’s office. He received a one-year, five-month sentence.
Prior to his disappearance from the U.S. Penitentiary Atwater on January 29, 2017, Pree was incarcerated there serving his term.
According to a news statement from Talbert’s office, “Pree did not have permission to leave the Atwater facility and remained at large until his arrest” almost two months ago.
Investigators located and detained Pree in the Californian city of Walnut Creek in October.
Authorities claimed that Pree had multiple cell phones, identity cards, and debit and credit cards in various names when he was arrested. In addition, he carried a phony Harvard University student ID and many driver’s licenses.
Pree faces another charge for his jail escape and is now back in federal custody to spend the rest of his initial term. Five years in prison and a fine of $250,000 are the maximum statutory penalties for this offense.
Pree’s ultimate sentence, however, “will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which takes into account a number of variables,” the eastern district U.S. Attorney’s Office in California said.
The case, the result of an investigation by the U.S. Marshals Service and the Department of State, is anticipated to be prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Cody S. Chapple.
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