Alexio’s tax, wire fraud worth 15 years in prison

Former world kickboxing champion Dennis Alexio was not in court Thursday for his sentencing to tax and wire fraud, theft, money laundering and other charges because he refused to leave his cell at the Federal Detention Center.

U.S. District Judge J. Michael Seabright ruled that Alexio, 58, voluntarily waived his right to be present and sentenced him in absentia to 15 years in prison for filing false tax returns and converting the fraudulent tax refunds into cash and cashier’s checks to prevent the government from reclaiming the money.

Seabright also sentenced Alexio to 97 months in prison for using phony financial documents to purchase gold bars, silver coins and Iraqi currency but ordered the sentence to run at the same time as the 15-year term. He ordered Alexio to repay $168,923 to the Internal Revenue Service and $202,495 to two precious-metal and currency dealers.

After completing his prison terms, Alexio will have to submit to federal court supervision for five years.

A federal jury found Alexio guilty of the money laundering, theft of public money and tax and wire fraud in January 2016. The jury also ordered Alexio to forfeit three cashier’s checks worth $226,527 and a 2010 sport utility vehicle that government agents seized after his 2013 arrest. Another jury found Alexio guilty of the charges involving the Iraqi currency, silver coins and gold bars in September.

Some of the tax fraud charges for which Alexio was sentenced Thursday include filing false tax returns for his now-former wife Anitalei. She pleaded guilty to conspiring to defraud the government, testified against her husband and was sentenced last year to probation. She also shares in the responsibility of repaying most of the money owed to the IRS.

The 15 years and 97 months are the maximum penalties recommended by the advisory U.S. sentencing guidelines. Seabright handed down the maximums because he said Alexio has not admitted any wrongdoing and said he thinks he will commit the same crimes again if given the opportunity.

Alexio chose to serve as his own lawyer in both trials. Seabright terminated Alexio’s self-representation and appointed a lawyer for him near the end of the first trial because of what he said was Alexio’s deliberate and serious obstructionist misconduct. He said Alexio’s courtroom behavior and numerous filings appeared consistent with theories espoused by sovereign citizen and redemption anti-government groups.