Man who helped inmates ‘game’ prison drug program gets 6 years

A Michigan man has been sentenced to six years in prison for coaching federal inmates with no addiction problems on how to lie their way into a drug and alcohol treatment program that could shave up to a year off their sentences.

Tony Pham, of Grand Rapids, appeared before a federal judge in New Haven, Connecticut, on Friday.

Prosecutors say Pham’s Michigan-based prison consulting business gave paying clients tips on how to get into the federal Bureau of Prisons’ Residential Drug Abuse Program, including telling them to show up drunk when reporting to prison.

He pleaded guilty two years ago to fraud charges. A public defender for Pham declined to comment after the sentencing.