Ex-Raider Michael Bennett sentenced to five years in Petaluma fraud case

Michael Bennett, sentenced Thursday, stole more than $200,000 from his girlfriend’s parents. He was ordered to prison immediately and could be out in two years.|
PAUL PAYNE
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

A former Oakland Raiders running back has been sentenced to five years in prison for stealing about $225,000 from his girlfriend’s parents.

Michael Antwon Bennett, 38, of Petaluma was remanded in a Santa Rosa courtroom Wednesday and ordered by Judge Elliot Daum to begin serving his sentence immediately. Under state law, he could eligible for release in about 2½ years.

Bennett, who played in the NFL for nine years before retiring from the Raiders in 2010, previously pleaded no contest to stealing trust documents from his child’s grandparents in 2015 and using the information to take out two loans.

The theft followed a 2012 Florida conviction for wire fraud in which he was ordered to serve time in federal prison.

His Sonoma County conviction could make him ineligible to receive money as part of the league’s multimillion-dollar player concussion settlement.

Bennett was the 27th overall pick in the 2001 NFL draft, selected by the Minnesota Vikings out of the University of Wisconsin. He was a Pro Bowl selection the following year and went on to play for the Kansas City Chiefs, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and San Diego Chargers. He finished his career with the Raiders.

You can reach Staff Writer Paul Payne at 707-568-5312 or paul.payne@pressdemocrat.com.

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