Date: 07-14-2017
Disgraced, missing lawyer Eric Conn sentenced to 12 years in prison while still on the run..
A federal judge sentenced disgraced former disability lawyer Eric C. Conn to 12 years in prison Friday even though Conn is a fugitive.
U.S. District Judge Danny C. Reeves imposed the sentence against Conn in federal court in Lexington.
It is rare for defendants to be sentenced in absentia; most show up for their sentencing hearings. Defendants have a right to review their pre-sentence reports and to speak at their hearings in hopes of getting smaller sentences.
However, prosecutor Dustin M. Davis argued — and Reeves agreed — that Conn voluntarily gave up those rights by absconding from home detention on June 2. Conn’s attorney, Scott White, had asked to postpone the sentencing.
The 12-year sentence was the maximum under the two charges covered in Conn’s plea deal.
Conn, 56, was once one of the top disability lawyers in the country, representing thousands of people in successful claims for benefits from the Social Security Administration and making millions in fees.
In March, however, Conn pleaded guilty to one charge of stealing from the government and one charge of paying illegal gratuities to David B. Daugherty, a Social Security judge.
By Bill Estep
Lexington Herald-Leader
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FBI: ERIC CONN FLED TO NEW MEXICO USING AN ACCOMPLICE’S TRUCK
