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Fugitive Found in Gorham Sentenced to Seven Years

A man who spent three decades hiding out in the southern Maine town of Gorham after being convicted of three rapes in Massachusetts was sentenced today to nearly seven years in prison.  

The sentence imposed on Gary Irving, 53, was related to charges tied to his time in Maine, according to the Bangor Daily News. The charges included one count of being a fugitive in possession of firearms, and one count of aggravated identity theft. Two of the firearms discovered when police apprehended Irving were sawed-off shotguns, which are illegal to possess.

After fleeing Massachussetts, Irving got married, had two children and became a respected citizen in Gorham, where he lived for almost 34 years using the name and Social Security number of his brother, Gregg.

Prosecutors maintain that Irving committed three rapes at knife point in Massachusetts during the late 1970s. Irving claims to be innocent of those charges.

U.S. District Court Judge George Z. Singal sentenced Irving to 81 months in prison, to be served at the end of the 36-40-year sentence he already faces in Massachusetts, the publication reports.

 

Barbara grew up in Biddeford, Maine. She earned a master’s in public administration from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government and a bachelor’s in English from the University of Southern Maine.