Man who faked death faces prison

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) - A Coast Guard commander says a man who vanished in the Chesapeake Bay and faked his death to avoid spending years behind bars should get a stiff prison sentence.

Larry Deffenbaugh was convicted in May of conspiracy and communicating a false distress signal. He will be sentenced Monday in federal court.

Rear Adm. W.D. Lee asked a judge to send a message that authorities won't tolerate hoax distress calls that put rescuers in danger.

Deffenbaugh's brother reported him missing from a fishing boat they had rented in Virginia Beach in 2009, two days before he was to be sentenced on a probation violation in Maryland.

Prosecutors are now seeking a sentence of six and a half to eight years and one month in prison for the 60-year-old.