A 55-year-old fugitive who had been on the run for eight years after escaping from a federal prison in California has been caught and indicted. The fugitive, Eric Pree of San Francisco, was charged with escape from custody after being convicted on federal wire fraud and aggravated identity theft charges in 2012. Pree had been serving a sentence at the U.S. Penitentiary Atwater until he was discovered missing in 2017. He was found in Walnut Creek in October, where authorities also found him in possession of multiple cellphones, identification cards, and fake credentials. Pree is now back in federal custody to serve the remainder of his original sentence and faces an additional charge for his escape, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The final sentence will be determined by the court after considering various factors. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cody S. Chapple will prosecute the case, which was the result of an investigation by the Department of State and the U.S. Marshals Service.
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