Kelli Engler, Failing to Report for Incarceration, West Virginia 2016

Kelli Engler, also known as Kelli Reed and Kelli Reed-Engler, 39, of Nitro, West Virginia, was sentenced today to eight months in federal prison for failing to report to serve a 90-day sentence, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced. The hard pass came after she blew off a court-ordered self-surrender date and forced federal agents to hunt her down across state lines.

Engler had already admitted guilt to the federal charge of failing to report for incarceration. In 2011, she was convicted of access device fraud, a crime that landed her under federal supervision. That oversight should’ve kept her in check, but instead, she shattered the terms—twice. She stopped paying court-ordered restitution and ghosted her probation officer, triggering a supervised release violation.

On March 25, 2016, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia ordered Engler to voluntarily surrender to begin serving her 90-day sentence. She was given the courtesy of self-reporting—no cuffs, no sirens, just responsibility. She chose none of it. Instead, she vanished, forcing the court to issue a warrant.

For nearly three months, Engler remained off the grid until June 28, 2016, when federal and local law enforcement cornered her in Rutherford County, Tennessee. The U.S. Marshals Service, working alongside the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office, tracked her down in a takedown that underscored the reach of federal warrants—even for those who think they’ve slipped the system.

The prosecution, led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Erik S. Goes, hammered home the message that violating court orders has consequences. U.S. District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr. agreed, handing down an eight-month sentence that not only punishes Engler’s original breach but her defiance in running from it.

This case is a stark reminder: federal supervision isn’t a suggestion. Whether it’s paying back stolen funds or showing up when summoned, the system tracks, and when someone bolts, it responds. Kelli Engler is now learning that lesson behind bars.

RELATED: Kelli Engler Pleads Guilty

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