Mistakenly freed from prison 12 years ago, former Philly man won’t have to return to jail, lawyer says

Demetrius Anderson, a 43-year-old Philadelphia native who faced returning to prison to complete a sentence more than 12 years after he was mistakenly freed early, will not have to go back to jail, his lawyer said Saturday.

After outcry over Anderson’s recent arrest in Connecticut, federal officials gave Anderson credit for his time at liberty since his release in November 2006, said Michael Dolan, Anderson’s lawyer.

“I expect it to be rescinded on Monday,” Dolan said.

In 2005, Anderson, who now lives in New Haven, Conn., pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia to counterfeiting and identify theft and was sentenced to up to 16 months in prison. That federal sentence would begin after Anderson completed serving time in Connecticut for similar charges.

But when Anderson was released in 2006 from Connecticut prison, state officials failed to notify federal prison officials due to a “clerical error,” and Anderson went free. Anderson said he went about rebuilding his life in New Haven and currently works with the city’s parks and recreation department and for a nonprofit in human resources.

Anderson’s arrest was ordered after the U.S. Marshals in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania conducted an audit and discovered the unserved sentence. Marshals arrested Anderson at his New Haven apartment.

Dolan, the attorney, said he spoke with the U.S. Bureau of Prisons on Friday and was told that Anderson would be given credit for living a crime-free life since his release. But he has not seen anything in writing yet from U.S. District Judge Paul S. Diamond, who issued the sentence and also signed the warrant for Anderson’s arrest.

Federal authorities could not be reached for comment Saturday.