Man accused of PFD fraud phones it in

The first court appearance was Thursday for a man accused of Alaska Permanent Fund dividend fraud.

Kenneth Wilson Comfort II, 49, was indicted by a Juneau grand jury last month on charges of unsworn falsification and second degree attempted theft.

He called into court today from on-board a ship near Mobile, Alabama. Comfort said he’d be back in Coopers Landing, Alaska in early April. His arraignment will be continued on April 19.

Both of the charges are felonies and specifically focus on Comfort’s alleged untruthful disclosure of his absences on his 2011 PFD application. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $50,000 fine if convicted.

Comfort did not enter a plea on Thursday and he said that he planned to hire his own attorney in his case.

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