A prison term exceeding seven years has been given to an Eden Prairie man who fraudulently received more than $1.6 million in COVID-19 relief funds, stole another person’s identity and fled to his wife’s native country of Colombia.

Harold Bennie Kaeding, 75, was sentenced in U.S. District Court in St. Paul last week after jurors found him guilty in August of three counts each of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, and one count of money laundering.

Along with a prison sentence of 7¼ years, Judge Eric Tostrud ordered Kaeding to make restitution of the nearly $660,000 in connection with his scheme and serve three years of court supervision upon his release from prison.

Ahead of sentencing, Kaeding’s defense attorneys urged the judge to impose no more incarceration for their client since his arrest. They argued in writing that his advanced age and a host of health problems “make any additional prison time unduly difficult and perilous.”

In early 2021, Kaeding fled alone to Colombia, his wife’s native country, in an apparent attempt to evade prosecution, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Law enforcement eventually found him there in November 2021 and had him deported back to the United States.

Between March and May 2020, Kaeding applied for nearly $2.2 million in loans through the Paycheck Protection and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan programs. He used the names of his own close family members to submit the loan applications in the names of six purported corporate entities.

But these entities filed no tax returns and did not report the payment of wages to a single employee for calendar years 2019 and 2020. Kaeding instead fabricated tax documents, manufactured bank statements and submitted other records to ensure the applications appeared legitimate.

”Where do you think I lost my legs, in a bar fight? I’m pretty sure I was in combat when that happened,” snapped Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., in an CNN interview last Wednesday after Trump’s selection was announced.

Duckworth, who flew combat missions in Iraq and lost both legs when her helicopter was hit, added, ”It just shows how out of touch he is with the nature of modern warfare if he thinks that we can keep women behind that sort of imaginary line.”

Sen. Lindsay Graham, R-S.C., praised Hegseth and said the reality is that certain military jobs ”just need brute strength. ” But he added, ”women have served incredibly well, honorably in combat roles, and I don’t think that policy is going to change, but we’ll leave it up to him.”

Others, including a number of military women, disagree.

”Pete Hegseth’s views on women in the military are outdated, prejudiced, and ignore over 20 years of evidence proving women’s effectiveness in combat roles,” said Erin Kirk, a Marine Corps combat veteran. She said women have served honorably and effectively as pilots, logistics personnel, intelligence operatives and infantry grunts.

”Hegseth’s stances aren’t just regressive, they pose a direct threat to the Department of Defense’s readiness, and by extension, to our national security,” Kirk said.

A Nevis, Minn., man serving as a head election judge is accused of allowing 11 unregistered voters to cast ballots on Election Day.

Timothy Scouton, 64, worked at a tiny precinct in a politically conservative Hubbard County township where Scouton allegedly directed poll staff, including his son, to not have the unregistered voters fill out the correct paperwork in order to legally vote, according to the charges filed Friday in Hubbard County District Court.

Scouton faces two felony counts: One accuses the election judge of accepting votes of unregistered voters, the other is neglect of duty. The charges carry maximum penalties of five years in prison and/or $10,000 fine.

Attempts to reach Scouton were unsuccessful and his son, who was also present as an election judge, declined to comment when contacted by a Minnesota Star Tribune reporter Saturday. “No comment do not attempt to contact me again, thank you…” his son Andrew Scouton said in a message.

Andrew Scouton “would have been responsible for registration applications since he was sitting where persons entering would speak with him first,” the charges against his father state.

Timothy Scouton was assigned a public defender Friday. Assistant Beltrami County Attorney Kenneth Christie declined to comment when reached by phone Monday morning.

“I have no response at this time,” Christie said. “That may change within the next week or so.”

A majority of Badoura Township, population 150, voted for Donald Trump in the presidential election. According to election results, 49 voted for Trump and 31 voted for Kamala Harris.