White-collar convict makes son shoot him in legs to delay prison
Shannon Egeland will have to serve almost four more years behind bars after convincing his son to shoot him in the leg in order to delay going to prison for mortgage fraud.
(MULTNOMAH COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE)
MATT ZARRELL
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Thursday, March 1, 2018, 10:38 AM
Nice try.
A white-collar criminal, already convicted of insurance fraud, will spend more time behind bars after convincing his son to shoot him in the leg with a shotgun in order to delay his prison sentence and collect a disability payout.
Shannon Egeland was sentenced Wednesday to an additional three years and 10 months on top of his already 10-year sentence for mortgage fraud, the
Oregonian reports.
Egeland, 43, had already pleaded guilty to fraud charges stemming from a 2009 housing scandal in Central Oregon. As co-owner of development company Desert Sun, he helped raise millions from banks in the area through phony business plans and doctored loan applications, officials say.
He was out on bond awaiting sentencing when he came up with a new plan to delay his upcoming prison stint.
With a week to go before his sentencing, Egeland submitted an application for a disability insurance policy with Standard Insurance, falsely claiming he had never been arrested or indicted for either a felony or misdemeanor in the prior 10 years, according to the outlet.
In the days leading up to his sentencing hearing, police say Egeland had his son obtain a 20-gauge shotgun while he purchased ammunition for the weapon.
The day before he was to be sentenced, Egeland drove out to a roadside in Caldwell, Idaho, with his son and persuaded the 17-year-old to shoot him in the leg with the shotgun, authorities say.
The teen did as instructed and shot his father in the lower legs.
Egeland then ordered his son to leave the scene while he called 911 and claimed he was the victim of an assault while stopping to help a pregnant motorist.
When police arrived Egeland said he was struck in the head and shot in the leg.
As a result of the shooting injury, Egeland's left leg was amputated.
Despite his best efforts, Standard Insurance did not suffer an actual loss because the fraud was quickly detected and Egeland's bond was revoked and he was taken back into custody.
Egeland ultimately pleaded guilty in May 2016 to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with the shooting scheme, as well as willful failure to pay child support, officials say.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Bradford referred to Egeland in a sentencing memo as a "menace to society,"
KOIN reports.
"The psychological and emotional destruction defendant caused this minor child is unimaginable,'' Bradford wrote in the memo.
Judge Anna J. Brown called the staged shooting "an unthinkable kind of situation."
Egeland told the judge he's in need of mental health counseling and treatment and is now taking medications for mental health. He expressed guilt over his son's role in the case, the Oregonian reports.
"What bothers me the most is my son - the pain is on him,'' Egeland said, "The pain that he has shouldn't be there...I've had 3 ½ years to recognize I am broken...If I could take it all back, I would, but I can't...That will haunt me the rest of my life.''
In addition to the prison sentence, Egeland was also ordered to pay the $90,011 he owes in back child support payments.
That wasn't even the first time Egeland had gotten in trouble while his original fraud case was active.
In December 2010, while on pre-trial release in the mortgage case, Egeland was accused of selling drugs near a school and then later lying about it while testifying during the trial, the Oregonian reports.
He was convicted of both perjury and delivery of a controlled substance within 1,000 feet of a school, but the court of appeals overturned the drug conviction due to an incorrect jury instruction.
In June 2013 Egeland also pleaded guilty to theft or shoplifting from Fred Meyer.