Convicted robber who lived productive life while awaiting prison seeks release in Missouri

ST. LOUIS – A Missouri man who waited years to be sent to prison after being convicted of armed robbery is fighting for his release.

Cornealious Anderson was sentenced in 2000 to 13 years and was told to await instructions on when and where to report to prison. But those instructions never came.

So Anderson didn't report and spent the 13 years turning his life around — getting married, raising three kids, learning a trade. He made no effort to conceal his identity or whereabouts.

When authorities discovered the mistake last year, they arrested him. Now he's fighting for release, saying the government missed its chance to incarcerate him.

Anderson's attorney, Patrick Megaro, says the last time anything similar happened in Missouri was 1912. In that case, the convicted man was set free.