Former NFL WR gets 3 years for tax fraud scheme

Former Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Freddie Mitchell was sentenced to three years in prison for his role in an elaborate tax fraud scheme in Orange County.

While Mitchell told Channel 9 last week that he was sorry for what he did, he was in no mood to talk as he walked out of court on Tuesday.

The former first-round draft pick who made millions in the NFL pleaded guilty earlier to a scheme where he recruited athletes as clients for a tax return service. The couple running that service then filed returns with made up business losses and earnings, authorities said.

A return for one athlete, who did not know about the scheme, was nearly $2 million, authorities said.

Mitchell's attorneys had asked that he only receive supervised release so that he could get treatment for CTE, a brain injury they said he received from playing in the NFL.

Mitchell's defense attorneys showed a two-hour documentary about brain injuries and the NFL to bolster their argument.