Lyle Jeffs: Ex-Fugitive Polygamous Sect Leader Pleads Guilty

SALT LAKE CITY, UT — Lyle Jeffs, the polygamous sect leader who was spent a year on the run and was recaptured in South Dakota, pleaded guilty in Salt Lake City federal court in escape and food-stamp fraud cases.

Jeffs entered the pleas Wednesday. He was charged in a multimillion-dollar food-stamp fraud scheme and his escape from home confinement.

Jeffs was awaiting trial in the food-stamp case when he slipped out of his ankle monitor in June 2016. Authorities recaptured him this summer when he pawned two pairs of pliers and was apparently living out of his pickup truck.

Jeffs was one of 11 members of the polygamous group charged in the case. Food-stamp benefits were funneled to pay for things like a tractor and a truck, prosecutors said.

The other defendants have cut plea deals or had charges against them dismissed. (For more information on Jeffs' case and other Salt Lake City stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

Photo credit: Tooele County Sheriff's Office via AP