Santa Fe swindler's lifestyle questioned
A Santa Fe swindler’s appetite for luxury has once again caught the attention of federal prosecutors, who are now trying to force him to make several lifestyle changes – such as moving away from one of the “coolest streets” in America – so he can pay more restitution to his victims.
Matthew Sample, who pleaded guilty to fraud charges and was ordered to pay more than $1 million in restitution, missed one of his first two restitution payments, is living in an apartment two blocks from “the epicenter of San Diego’s coolest place,” and is funneling significant portions of his income into a 401K account and life insurance policies, Assistant U.S. Attorney Fred Federici said in a court filing last week.
Ray Twohig, Sample’s attorney, didn’t return calls for comment.
U.S. District Judge Judith Herrera in March sentenced Sample to five years of probation and ordered him to pay more than $1 million in restitution to six sets of victims after he entered guilty pleas to federal fraud and wire fraud charges. At the time, Sample said he had learned his lesson and promised to live frugally so he could pay the money back more quickly.
Prosecutors, who asked for a six-year prison sentence, have appealed the judgment and sentence to the Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit. In the meantime, they filed a document last week seeking, among other things, to get the court to direct the probation office to scrutinize Sample’s monthly expenses and require him to make changes.
Read more: https://www.abqjournal.com/1025192/santa-fe-con-mans-lifestyle-gets-attention-of-feds.html
