A man accused of defrauding the government through use of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, has finally been sentenced in a case that has been in a legal limbo while he was on the run. A judge has sentenced FLDS leader Lyle Jeffs to a prison term of 57 months, as well as an additional 36 months of probation for his involvement in a food stamp fraud scheme. Additionally, Jeffs has been ordered to pay back $1 million in restitution.
While others involved in the scheme received significantly lighter sentences, many of them simply probation or minimal jail time, the judge said that Jeffs deserved the harsher sentence due to his disrespect for U.S. laws and the way he has put his allegiance and loyalty to his brother Warren above all else. Warren Jeffs, the prophet of the FLDS sect, is currently serving out a life sentence in a Texas penitentiary for sexual assault charges relating to taking underage girls as his wives.
Lyle Jeffs admitted his guilt and accepted responsibility for his mistakes in the case, and also said he did not properly research food stamp fraud laws.
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