Man faces felony charges as result of liquor license applications

The Daily Inter Lake

Applications for state liquor licenses have led to two felony charges against Jim Glanz of Kalispell.

Glanz, also known as James William Glantz, is charged with two counts of tampering with public records or information. He faces up to 20 years in prison for allegedly lying about his name and criminal history.

According to information filed by Deputy Flathead County Attorney Tammi Fisher, Glanz claimed on state applications that his true name is James William Glantz. He later admitted his name is Jim William Glanz.

On his applications, he also allegedly failed to admit a 1992 forgery conviction. He was convicted of forging a judge's signature on a divorce decree in Clackamas County, Ore.

Fisher wrote that Glanz, 54, also was convicted of felony tax fraud for more than $400,000 (for which he was imprisoned), and also was convicted of deceptive practices in Flathead County involving more than $800,000 in fraudulent real-estate transactions.

There are three warrants for his arrest in Clackamas County, according to court documents.

"It is believed that once Jim William Glanz learned of the outstanding warrants, he fled to Montana," Fisher wrote. He obtained a driver's license in Washington state using a false name and false Social Security number.

Fisher said Glanz used the Washington license for identification to obtain a Montana driver's license.

In 1995, his wife, Donna, bought a state liquor store in Kalispell. Glanz worked at the liquor store.

In 2004, Glanz and others applied for seven liquor licenses at a single property west of Kalispell on Managhan Lane. The applications attracted about 700 protests and the state denied the licenses.

Glanz also was turned down on a later application.

He was arrested Thursday and posted $25,000 bond on the two felony charges.

In a statement Friday signed "Jim Glantz," he said the charges "appear to be retribution for my questioning a state investigator's personal motives when he was doing his job."

"The claims that I tried to hide past problems during a complicated time in my life is strange, since my background has been an open book and public record."

He said he legally changed his name 20 years ago in Washington.

"All those who know me and know the situation believe this to be a way of punishing me for questioning the state's motives, especially when the liquor license in question is still waiting for approval from the state for transfer to a new owner."