Irving Fryar, who spent 16 years in the National Football League, starring for the New England Patriots, Miami Dolphins and Philadelphia Eagles during his career, is now a free man, after he recently walked out of New Jersey state prison after serving only eight months of a five-year sentence for mortgage fraud.
Last year, Fryar recieved a sentence of five years in prison after being convicted for his part in a scheme that involved taking out six home equity loans his mother’s home – at the same time.
In August of 2015, Fryar and his 74-year-old mother, Allene McGhee, were found guilty of conspiracy and theft of deception for a scheme that defrauded several financial institutions of $1.2 million.
According to court documents, five of the six loans taken out on McGhee’s home were taken out within a six-day period and four of the loans closed on a single day –Dec. 21, 2009.
Fryar and McGhee then conspired to obtain a sixth home equity loan on the home for $150,000 on Jan. 14, 2010.
Fryar and McGee were also found guilty of falsifying wage and employment information on several loan applications, which stated McGhee earned a large salary as an employee for the New Jerusalem House of God, a church that Fryar founded.
But now, after serving only eight months, Fryar is free.
Philly.com has the details on how and why Fryar served less than a year in jail.
From Philly.com:
The former Eagle, who was a pastor at a Mount Holly church when a jury convicted him of conspiracy and theft by deception charges last August, was freed on June 6 and enrolled in the state’s Intensive Supervision Program. The program is offered to eligible nonviolent offenders who are amenable to rehabilitation and have no criminal record.
Under the program, Fryar, 53, was permitted to return to his Burlington County home. He will be regularly monitored by court staff for at least 16 months. He will be subject to home visits, searches, and an initial curfew of 6 p.m., according to guidelines. He also will not be able to leave the state without permission.
As Philly.com notes, Fryar is still required to repay $615,600 in restitution to five lenders that were targets of the scheme.
