Ex-Eagles Receiver Guilty Of Fraud: Freddie Mitchell Faces 10 Years In Prison
Ex-Eagles receiver Freddie Mitchell was found guilty this week of fraud.
Mitchell, who played with the Eagles from 2001-2004, plead guilty on Friday to one count of conspiracy to file a false claim. Mitchell now faces up to 10 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000.
According to Forbes, the tax scheme perpetrated by Mitchell and two other co-conspirators involved a fourth person, a professional athlete, identified only as A.G.
Mitchell reportedly contacted A.G. and said that he had received a $1 million tax refund thanks to his co-conspirators, Richard Walls and Jamie Russ-Walls. Mitchell said that his co-conspirators would be able to provide A.G. with similar results.
The anonymous athlete agreed to put $100,000 down to get his taxes prepared but ended up pulling out of the operation before the taxes were filed.
Mitchell and his co-conspirators filed the taxes anyway and received a refund worth nearly $2 million. The money was dropped into three accounts with Mitchell pocketing about $280,000 for setting up A.G. with his fraudster friends.
Walls and Russ-Walls already plead guilty and have been sentenced. Walls was sentenced to over three years in prison while Russ-Walls was given probation. The former Eagles player faces up to 10 years in prison.
Mitchell only played 4 years in the NFL. He was drafted out of UCLA in the first round of the NFL draft in 2001. Over his career, he caught 90 passes for 1,263 yards and 5 touchdowns.
Freddie Mitchell didn’t have a luxurious career in the NFL but he is responsible for an extremely memorable play in Eagles history.
The Eagles were facing a 4th and 26 against the Packers with 1:12 remaining and no timeouts available during a divisional playoff game. The Eagles, down three at the time, hicked the ball from their own 25 yard line. Freddie Mitchell ran a slant route deep into the Packers secondary and caught the ball just past the first down marker.
The Eagles got the first down and were able to end the drive with a field goal and send the game into overtime.
