Escapee From Federal Prison Charged

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a one-count indictment today against a Seattle man who was serving a federal prison sentence in the Federal Correctional Institution Herlong in Lassen County, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced.

Roderick Earl Vanga, 32, is charged with escape from custody. According to court documents, Vanga was serving a seven-year sentence for a drug offense when he escaped on April 5, 2013. He was apprehended on February 23, 2014, in Seattle and remains in custody.

This case is the product of an investigation by the U.S. Marshals Service, the King County (Wash.) District Attorney’s Office, and the police departments of Seattle and Renton. Assistant United States Attorney William Wong is prosecuting the case.

If convicted, Vanga faces a maximum statutory penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.