Separatist Gets Added Prison Time in Fraud
The leader of the Republic of Texas, the secessionist group that held state police at bay in a weeklong standoff last year, was sentenced to 12 1/2 years in federal prison Tuesday for scheming to pass $1.8 billion worth of phony checks.
Richard McLaren, 44, is already serving a 99-year sentence for a kidnapping that led to the standoff.
He, his wife and six others were convicted of plotting to distribute worthless Republic of Texas “warrants” that resembled cashier’s checks. McLaren was also ordered to repay $426,000 to businesses that were defrauded.
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