SCRANTON -- A Scranton businessman, perhaps known best for his charity work, is locked up.
Bob Bolus was sent directly to the Lackawanna County Prison after being sentenced Wednesday afternoon for insurance fraud.
Bolus owns Bolus Truck Parts and Towing in Scranton. He was convicted earlier this year of insurance fraud involving one of his company tow trucks.
Wednesday, a judge sentenced Bolus to six to 23 months in county prison. The sentence came as a surprise to Bolus, who said after his conviction that a prison sentence would mean the end of his community service.
Bob Bolus walked into Lackawanna County Court concerned, but not expecting to leave in handcuffs. A judge ordered the trucking tycoon directly to prison after his sentencing.
Bolus was convicted earlier this year for filing a false insurance claim for one of his tow trucks involved in a crash back in 2009.
Bolus' trucking and towing business made him a lot of money, which he has been generous with. He put on a free Christmas dinner for thousands of people in Scranton every year. The dinners were something Bolus had hoped would keep him out of jail.
"They look forward to a lot of the things that I do community-wise, not just the dinner, but everything else I've done. I hope the judge takes that into consideration," Bolus said on his way into court Wednesday.
Bolus was found guilty of filing false insurance claims that would have earned him more than $30,000 in insurance money.
Bolus has never publicly admitted any wrongdoing.
"To whom much has been given, much is expected. I think you were just looking for the bucks, and I'm not sure you needed it," Judge Vito Geroulo said to Bolus in court.
The judge said he was lenient on Bolus because of his community service, but it was no reason to keep him out of jail.
When convicted back in March, Bolus said his giving would stop if sentenced to prison.
Bolus' attorney did file a motion to allow Bolus to report to prison at a later date because he's been facing some health problems. However, the judge denied that request and Bolus was taken directly to Lackawanna County Prison.