Ex-Philadelphia sportscaster Don Tollefson rejected a last-minute plea deal ahead of jury selection in his theft trial.
NBC 10 noted that Tollefson arrived at a suburban Philadelphia courthouse Monday around 9 a.m. and was offered a plea deal by the prosecutor’s office to avoid going to trial. However, the former T.V. personality turned the deal down, allowing the court to proceed with jury selections.
The 62-year-old is accused of stealing more than $300,000 from sports fans who purchased travel packages they believed were going to help charitable organizations.
WPVI reported that the last-minute deal included a seven-month prison term, another seven months in a halfway house and an additional seven months in a recovery hospital for substance abuse and counseling.
By rejecting that offer, he now faces up to 20 years behind bars if convicted.
Tollefson started his journalism career in San Francisco as a correspondent for the Associated Press. He later moved on to the Philadelphia T.V. market and became a popular sports anchorman for the local ABC and FOX stations.
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