Two embezzlers appear in court

The Daily Inter Lake

Two women who admitted embezzling appeared in court his week.

Joan McChesney was sentenced for her crime and Rose LaFontise asked to have half the restitution forgiven in her case.

McChesney, 51, of Kalispell, received a two-year deferred sentence for felony theft. If she has no other criminal problems, the conviction will be cleared from her record.

She admitting stealing $7,600 from Society of Human Resource Management when she was its treasurer. Checks she wrote on the organization's account were primarily to department stores.

McChesney apologized for the theft and had paid back most of the money before she was charged.

LaFontise, 51, asked District Judge Kitty Curtis to relieve her from paying the balance of her restitution from a 1993-1994 theft from Marquardt & Marquardt Surveying in Kalispell.

Flathead County Attorney Ed Corrigan opposed that, saying her victim has been "without use of the money" since LaFontise stole it.

Victim Dawn Marquardt also objected to the request.

LaFontise has repaid about $40,000, Corrigan said, but still owes about that much when interest on the $50,000 theft is included.

LaFontise admitted writing checks to herself and her husband from Marquardt's account.

She received a 10-year suspended sentence on each of two counts of felony theft.

Her probation officer said LaFontise blamed her employer for the crime, saying that giving her access to the company's finances was like turning a child loose in a candy store.

Curtis took LaFontise's request under advisement.