US officials face sentencing in BLM fraud case

BILLINGS (AP) — A senior official in the U.S. Bureau of Land Management faces sentencing in federal court today for covering up for a subordinate who kept drawing government pay after leaving the agency for a job in Montana.

Prosecutors are recommending at least two years in prison for John Grimson Lyon of Clifton, Virginia.

The former director for the BLM's 31-state Eastern States Region was convicted by a jury in March of wire fraud, false claims and theft of government property.

The charges followed an investigation that revealed Lyon's deputy at the BLM, Larry Denny, left his government post in Virginia to work for Montana's Chippewa Cree Tribe.

Denny received $112,000 in federal wages and benefits after leaving. He also faces sentencing Thursday after pleading guilty to theft, fraud and other charges.