DENVER — A man who escaped from a federal prison in Colorado and remained on the run for years before his capture was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Allen Todd May, 60, pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud, one count of escape, and one count of aggravated identity theft. His 10-year sentence will run consecutively to the seven years he must complete for a sentence out of Texas, which he was serving when he escaped, according to the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado.
In addition, he must serve three years of supervised release after the prison sentence, pay $9,113,375.49 in restitution and forfeit the money he obtained during the scheme.
This case started in February 2012, when May was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison after he was convicted of mail fraud in the Northern District of Texas. In January 2018, he was transferred to the Federal Correctional Institute in Englewood, Colorado.
Between mid-2016 and December 2018, he devised a scheme to "falsely and fraudulently claim that he and entities controlled by him were entitled to oil and gas royalties that had not yet been claimed by the true owners," the U.S. Attorney's Office said. He used an iPhone he illegally obtained from another inmate to carry out the scheme, which resulted in him obtaining more than $700,000 in royalties that he was not entitled to.
At the Federal Correctional Institute in Englewood, May worked as a facilities clerk and was permitted to drive vehicles on the prison grounds.
On Dec. 21, 2018, he drove off the property. During a prison count later that day, prison officials discovered he was missing.
May was able to hide from officials for about five years. During this time, he "engaged in the same fraudulent oil and gas royalties scheme and netted $8 million in funds to which he was not entitled and used these funds to support his extravagant lifestyle," the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
He also stole the identities of inmates who were serving lengthy sentences and committed the fraud in their names, the office said.
Thanks to a tip from an anonymous person, May was ultimately arrested in August 2023 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The tipster had spotted a photo of May attending a society event in Palm Beach, according to the Associated Press. Investigators said May was wearing a Rolex watch at the time of his arrest and drove a high-end Mercedes, the AP reported.
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May had been living there under an alias, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
“This repeat offender demonstrated a blatant disregard for the law. While in federal prison, he orchestrated a $700,000 fraud scheme, audaciously escaped, and continued to victimize unsuspecting Americans while on the run for five years,” said FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Mark Michalek. “Thanks to the tireless work of the U.S. Marshals Service, he was apprehended, and his criminal activities were stopped. The defendant's actions leave no doubt that he is a threat to society and deserves to remain incarcerated.”
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