Now that he’s collecting a paycheck from state taxpayers as a member of the Utah House of Representatives, federal authorities want a court to force Rep. Phil Lyman, R-Blanding, to increase by fivefold his monthly restitution payment to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).
Lyman, a former San Juan County commissioner, was convicted in 2015 of a misdemeanor for leading a ride onto public lands that were closed to protect ancient American Indian dwellings. He was ordered to pay $95,955.61 in damages, which the court has allowed him to pay off in $100 monthly installments.
At that rate, nearly three-quarters of the money he owes would remain unpaid by the time his debt judgment expires in April 2036.