BURLINGTON — A former Quechee resident who defrauded clients at a tax firm out of $1.2 million has had his sentence in federal prison delayed for a third time due to COVID-19 concerns.

Ryan Wall, 42, is set to start serving his 51-month prison sentence on one count of wire fraud at FPC Montgomery, a federal prison in Alabama on July 8, according to an order signed by U.S. District Judge Geoffrey Crawford on March 17.

Wall pleaded guilty in December 2019 to defrauding clients at Twin State Business Services, the West Lebanon-based payroll and tax preparation business where he worked. He was initially ordered to begin his sentence late last summer but saw that start date pushed back several times over health concerns raised by his attorney, David McColgin.

In his most recent motion, filed March 16, McColgin requested another delay in order to give Wall a chance to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Federal prosecutors did not oppose the request.

“Mr. Wall has been informed that for healthy adults in his age group in Florida, he can expect to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by the end of June 2021,” McColgin wrote. He added that Wall has shown “model performance” while released and that he has made restitution payments.

“There is no urgency regarding his surrender date, and no reason to endanger his health or the health of other inmates and (Bureau of Prison) staff by having him surrender while COVID-19 is still spreading through BOP facilities,” McColgin wrote.

The new start date comes over a year after Crawford sentenced Wall to prison and ordered him to pay $472,000 in restitution to 18 of his victims in June 2020.

That dollar figure has since been increased to $600,000 after more victims came forward seeking payment.

So far, Wall has paid $15,500, according to McColgin’s motion.

Wall was ordered to start serving his time at the beginning of September but McColgin requested a delay until December, citing the rampant spread of COVID-19 at prisons around the country.

In November, McColgin filed a second motion to delay the sentence again, this time until mid-April 2021, “when hopefully the coronavirus will have subsided and an effective vaccine will be available.”

In an email Monday, McColgin wrote that he hopes the third delay will give Wall a chance to get vaccinated, and give him a longer opportunity to pay more restitution.

One victim of Wall’s embezzlement scheme, Toby Jasmin, said he’s been trying to move forward with his life after Wall stole $117,000 from his family’s business, JAS Auto Body in White River Junction.

“Once it’s in the courthouse, it’s out of my hands,” Jasmin said Monday. He said he’s not bothered by the delay, as long as Wall pays back his victims and actually serves time in prison.

“As long as he is accountable for what he did,” Jasmin said. “I’m just looking for justice. Not any more. Not any less.”

Jasmin was one of around 35 victims who claimed Wall stole a combined amount of $1.2 million from them while he was running payroll services for TSBS between 2012 and 2018.

During that time, Wall took money from his clients that was supposed to go to the Internal Revenue Service or state tax departments and put it in an escrow account. He then wrote checks to himself and sent money via wire transfers to third parties, prosecutors have said.

Anna Merriman can be reached at amerriman@vnews.com.