FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE	CONTACT: Lauren Horwood
January 3, 2012	PHONE: (916) 554-2706
www.usdoj.gov/usao/cae	usacae.edcapress@usdoj.gov
Docket #: 1:11-cr-00293 LJO

            FRESNO, Calif. — United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced that today United States District Judge Lawrence J. O’Neill sentenced Christopher Stephen Willis, 23, of Bakersfield, to two years in federal prison for absconding and failing to appear at a court hearing in 2009 that concerned Willis’s violation of supervised release conditions imposed following an earlier federal conviction. Willis was also sentenced by Judge O’Neill to eight months in federal prison for the violation of his supervised release conditions, to be served consecutively for a total of two years and eight months.

            According to court documents, the underlying offense for which Willis was convicted was conspiring to manufacture counterfeit currency. He was sentenced to 17 months in prison, to be followed by 36 months of supervised release. After serving his prison sentence and while on supervised release, Willis violated the conditions of his release. A status conference was scheduled for November 3, 2009, but Willis failed to appear. A warrant was issued for his arrest. He was taken into custody in August 2011 by the U.S. Marshals Service and indicted on September 1, 2011 for failure to appear.

            On October 14, 2011, Willis pleaded guilty to the failure to appear charge, and he admitted to the supervised release violations.

            This case is the product of an investigation by the U.S. Secret Service and the U.S. Marshal’s Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Sherriff prosecuted the case.

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