Julius "Butch" Nesbitt, who eluded police for six weeks after faking his own death, was sentenced Monday to 151 months in prison.
Nesbitt faced several drug charges, including conspiracy to distribute Oxycodone, when he disappeared.
United States Attorney Bill Nettles says in addition to the drug charges, Nesbitt was charged with felon in possession of a firearm, and causing the United States Coast Guard to conduct a search when no help was needed.
Nettles says evidence presented at Nesbitt's August trial showed that Nesbitt was buying Oxycodone from people with prescriptions, then selling the pills for inflated prices. He was arrested and charged in August 2007.
In November 2007, Nesbitt's boat was found abandoned in Winyah Bay, with his wallet inside. His girlfriend reported him missing and both the U.S. Coast Guard and the SC Department of Natural Resources searched for Nesbitt for two days.
Nesbitt was found on January 8, 2008 in Terre Haute, IN. Prosecutors say he had clippings with him about his disappearance in South Carolina. The U.S. Attorney's Office in the Southern District of Indiana prosecuted Nesbitt for counterfeiting and he was convicted and received a sentence of a little more than one year imprisonment. Nesbitt was then returned to South Carolina to face charges.
Monday, in Charleston, Chief United States District Judge David C. Norton sentenced Nesbitt to the 151 months, plus three years supervised release. He was ordered to pay $170,114.06 in restitution for the cost of the United States Coast Guard search in November 2007.
