Aliso Viejo, California – A Long Beach man currently serving a life sentence for planting a homemade bomb that killed his ex-girlfriend and injured two others at an Aliso Viejo day spa in 2018 received an additional three years and one month in federal prison on Thursday for a fraud scheme he orchestrated prior to the bombing.

Stephen Beal, 65, confessed in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom in November to federal counts of wire fraud, Social Security fraud, and hiding bankruptcy assets, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Following a retrial in July, Beal was found guilty in the bombing case of use of a weapon of mass destruction resulting in death, malicious destruction of a building resulting in death, use of a destructive device in a crime of violence, and possession of an unregistered destructive device. He was then sentenced in January to life plus an additional 30 years in federal prison for constructing and planting the package bomb.

Apart from the bombing incident, Beal admitted to failing to report $350,000 he received from his deceased wife’s estate in a bankruptcy proceeding. He also confessed to seeking insurance benefits fraudulently and Social Security payments after his wife’s death in 2008, as per federal prosecutors.

In his plea agreement, Beal acknowledged unlawfully obtaining about $1 million in disability payments from an insurance company for a disability he did not have. He also admitted to receiving over $350,000 in dishonest Social Security benefits and concealing assets from a bankruptcy court during his 2009 bankruptcy filing, as documents filed in Los Angeles federal court revealed.

Beal was arrested in March 2019 in connection with the bombing on May 15, 2018, that tragically claimed the life of 48-year-old Ildiko Krajnyak, co-owner of the Magyar Kozmetica day spa, and severely injured a mother and daughter. Prosecutors stated that Beal sought revenge after Krajnyak rejected him and openly dated other men.

The fatal explosion occurred when Krajnyak opened a cardboard box at the spa’s front desk, setting off the explosive device inside, as confirmed by FBI officials. The violent blast not only tore apart Krajnyak’s body but also demolished the building. Incriminating evidence included wire fragments discovered at the bombing site that matched wire found during a search of Beal’s residence. Beal was captured on surveillance footage purchasing the battery type used in the explosive device a week prior to the explosion. Despite the defense’s argument that Beal was an experienced rocket hobbyist and fireworks maker, the court found him guilty based on the evidence presented.