Likening him to the boy who cried wolf one too many times, a federal judge on Tuesday sentenced a San Juan County man to three years probation for lying about being attacked by terrorists.
"Just crying wolf can cost you a lot of money and a lot of trouble," U.S. District Judge Dee Benson told Gregory Lee at the Tuesday afternoon hearing.
Lee will be required to pay restitution to four law enforcement agencies — the Navajo Nation Police Department, the Utah Department of Public Safety, the San Juan County Sheriff's Office and the FBI — though the final amount is in dispute.
The agencies submitted to the U.S. Attorney's Office an invoice totaling more than $10,000 for overtime pay and travel costs, but Benson on Tuesday indicated he believed the amount to be a little high.
The judge suggested the agencies look at any positive impact Lee's bogus Feb. 19 report may have had. "Maybe it was a good training exercise, have they thought of it that way?"
Benson said the final restitution order likely will be closer to $5,000 or $6,000. Federal prosecutors will discuss the amount with Lee's defense attorney and submit a stipulation within the next week or so.
Lee, 26, said Tuesday he had learned his lesson, adding, "This is going to haunt me for the rest of my life."
Responded Benson: "It's not the worst crime ever committed, so don't beat yourself up too much over it."
Lee, then an employee at the Exxon oil field plant near Aneth, told FBI agents that shortly after he arrived at work on Feb. 19 he was attacked by four men who asked if the facility was a nuclear installation. The armed men allegedly hit Lee in the head and kicked him after he fell to the floor before escaping in a black sports utility vehicle.
Lee eventually admitted to fabricating the entire story, saying he was fearful of a terrorist attack and wanted to test police response to the situation.
In addition to the standard terms of probation, Benson ordered Lee to participate in a mental-health treatment program to "help you figure out what made you do this."
E-mail: awelling@desnews.com