Federal Inmate Pleads Guilty To Escaping From Prison

MINNEAPOLIS—Earlier today in federal court in St. Paul, an inmate who escaped from the Federal Prison Camp in Duluth in March 2013 and was on the run for six days pleaded guilty to that crime. Michael Joseph Krzyzaniak, age 64, of Minneapolis, specifically pleaded guilty to one count of escape from custody. Krzyzaniak, who was indicted on April 22, 2013, entered his plea before United States District Court Judge Susan Richard Nelson.

In his plea agreement, Krzyzaniak admitted that on March 30, 2013, he left the custody of the federal prison camp without authorization. He was arrested on April 5, 2013, at a Burnsville motel. He was serving a 151-month sentence for a 2012 conviction in the District of Minnesota for wire fraud and tax evasion. According to a law enforcement affidavit filed in the current case, Krzyzaniak was present for a prisoner count at 4:00 p.m. on March 30. However, he was not present for the prisoner count at 10:00 p.m.

For his crime, Krzyzaniak faces a potential maximum penalty of five years in federal prison, which may be tacked onto the sentence he is already serving. Judge Nelson will determine his sentence at a future hearing, yet to be scheduled.

This case is the result of an investigation by the U.S. Marshals Service. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Manda M. Sertich.