Man who escaped Colorado federal prison is back behind bars after illegally making $8 million on the run

DENVER, Colo. (KRDO) – A Colorado man who escaped a federal prison, evaded capture for 5 years and illegally made $8 million through a fraud scheme during his time on the run was sentenced to 10 years behind bars after he pleaded guilty to several charges.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado, Allen Todd May was serving a 20-year prison sentence at the Federal Prison Camp in Englewood after he was convicted of mail fraud in 2012.

While behind bars between mid-2016 and December 2018, the U.S. Attorney's Office said May used an iPhone he had illegally purchased from a fellow inmate to run a fraud scheme, in which he claimed that he was entitled to oil and gas royalties that had not yet been claimed by the true owners. Through the scheme, May was able to obtain over $700,000 in royalties.

May worked as a facilities clerk at the Federal Prison Camp, a position that allowed him to drive vehicles on prison grounds, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. In December 2018, May used one of the camp's vehicles to drive out of the compound.

After his escape, May eluded capture for nearly five years. While on the run, he engaged in the same oil and gas fraud scheme, netting $8 million in fraudulent funds.

To evade capture, federal authorities said he stole the identities of other inmates serving long sentences, presenting himself as them and conducting fraud in their names.

The U.S. Attorney's Office said he used the millions in fraudulent funds to support his "extravagant lifestyle." May was caught in August 2023, living under an alias in an expensive neighborhood in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

May pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud, one count of escape, and one count of aggravated identity theft. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison, as well as three years on supervised release after his release. May was also ordered to pay $9 million in restitution and forfeit the fraud proceeds and assets he obtained through the scheme.