Alaskan Bush People lied about living in Alaska! Two cast members of Discovery TV show admit they falsified residency to collect $3,000 oil revenues checks

  • Billy Brown and son Joshua of Alaskan Bush People plead guilty to fraud
  • They were living out of state for 3 years but pretended they didn't
  • As a result, they continued to receive a yearly check from Alaska's fund for permanent residents, which came from the state's early oil wealth
  • The family will repay the money and serve community service, judge said 

Two members of the family associated with the Discovery Channel's Alaskan Bush People reality show have agreed to plead guilty to lying on the application for the yearly oil revenue check given to Alaska residents.

Billy Brown, 62, and his son Joshua Brown, 31, claimed to be living in their Alaska residence between 2009 and 2012 - but in fact resided in Seattle.

Admitting to fraud, they have agreed to repay the state for dividends they received despite failing to meet residency requirements, KTUU-TV reports. They have also agreed to serve two years of probation.

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Joshua Brown, 31
Billy Brown, 62

Billy Brown, 62, (right) and his son Joshua Brown, 31, (left) of the Discovery Channel's Alaskan Bush People have agreed to repay the state for dividends they received despite failing to meet residency requirements

The agreement has not yet been approved by a judge. Superior Court Judge Philip Pallenberg was scheduled to hear the matter Thursday afternoon.

A Discovery Channel spokeswoman, Laurie Goldberg, had no comment.

Most Alaska residents receive a yearly payout from earnings off the Alaska Permanent Fund, which was born of the state's early oil wealth and has grown through investments. 

To qualify for the Permanent Fund Dividend, residents must have lived in the state for one full calendar year.

In separate, signed statements, Billy and Joshua Brown said they left Alaska in October 2009 and did not return until August 2012. Contrary to what was stated on several applications for dividends, they did not have a principle place of residence on Mosman Island in southeast Alaska from 2009 to 2013, each of the statements says.

'By submitting falsified PFD applications for myself and my children, I stole $7,956 from the people of Alaska,' Billy Brown wrote in his statement, included with the agreement. He said he submitted, or caused to be submitted, applications in the names of three of his children, then minors.

As part of the deal, Billy and Joshua Brown would have to serve 40 hours each of community service for which they could not be paid — meaning, it could not be filmed as part of a reality show. Billy Brown would be responsible for repaying the state $7,956. Joshua Brown would be required to pay $1,174.

The judge said the family members will not be allowed to film their community service for their reality show

The judge said the family members will not be allowed to film their community service for their reality show

'PFD fraud is a serious matter. It's a theft from everybody, every resident of the state of Alaska,' said Pallenberg during a hearing to consider the deal Wednesday. 'I think there's a high level of community condemnation for it.'

Billy Brown and Joshua Brown phoned into the criminal hearing from Seattle on Wednesday. Each agreed to plead guilty to second-degree unsworn falsification, a misdemeanor.

Last year, the father and son were charged with dozens of counts of fraud and theft along with four other family members. The plea agreement calls for charges against Solomon Brown, Gabriel Brown, Noah Brown and Amora Brown to be dismissed provided they pay $3,000 each in restitution.

The Discovery Channel series touted the family as living remote and uniquely Alaskan lives. Before its May 2014 premiere, Discovery encouraged viewers to watch the 'newly discovered family who was born and raised in the wild.' 

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