Federal inmate Fernando Settles was already serving 20 years as a result of August 2009 drug trafficking conviction.
He was scheduled to be released July 29, 2025.
Now he can add another year and three months to that sentence after he escaped from an Atlanta prison camp to celebrate his birthday, according to prosecutors.
“He decided that instant gratification was more important than serving his time and being released at the end of his sentence,” U.S. Attorney John Horn said Wednesday in a statement. “Now he will have an extra year to reflect on that choice.”
According to officials, Settles was caught in early May in a wooded area along the perimeter of the minimum-security camp adjacent to the U.S. Penitentiary in southeast Atlanta.
He had a cellphone, which is not allowed in prison, and two empty black duffle bags.
RELATED: Inmate, fiancée broke prisoners out of Atlanta pen, took them to restaurants, hotels, officials say
Settles, 36, of Augusta, was arrested as part of ongoing FBI-Atlanta Police Department investigation that found inmates have been breaking out of the facility and sneaking back in with contraband such as cellphones, cigarettes and possibly even handguns.
It was not clear if he ever made it to his birthday celebration during his brief time on the run.
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