A former fugitive and social security disability lawyer pleaded guilty in federal court on Monday, June 4, 2018 for his role in scheming to defraud the Social Security Administration of more than $550 million, retaliating against and informant and fleeing from the United States. Eric Christopher Conn, 58, of Pikeville, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Danny Reeves of the Eastern District of Kentucky to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States, one count of conspiracy to escape and one count of conspiracy to retaliate against an informant. Conn was sentenced in absentia on July 14, 2017 to 12 years in prison, which he is currently serving, and now faces an additional 15 year sentence to run consecutively for a total of 27 years. Formal sentencing is set for September 7, 2018 at 1pm.