Bank Fraudster’s Bid to Undo Eight-Year Prison Sentence Fails

A man who pleaded guilty to a scheme to alter, forge, and cash counterfeit and stolen checks lost an appeal to undo his eight-month sentence after the Eleventh Circuit said the punishment was supported by the record.

The lower court’s finding that Thomas Bridges continued to engage in bank fraud while on pretrial release was supported by ample evidence, and the government didn’t breach its plea deal by informing the court of his conduct, the appeals court said.

The government honored its plea deal obligations by not objecting to the guidelines calculation in the presentence report, and by recommending a ...