Man pleads guilty to felony theft

Samuel Haley Rose, formerly Harry Paul Mottsman, has pleaded guilty to felony theft.

The 56-year-old Libby man accepted a plea deal Thursday that allowed him to plead to the lesser charge of felony theft as opposed to the felony count of forgery he originally faced.

According to Flathead County Deputy Attorney Ken Park, the theft charge was more accurate than forgery.

Rose cashed more than $7,000 in two counterfeit checks drawn on the Comerica Bank account of “Morgan, Richard & Marks LLC” and deposited the money in a Glacier Bank account under the name “Samuel A. Rose.”

No Social Security number was ever issued for that name, an alias for Rose.

Rose originally faced up to 20 years in jail and a fine of up to $50,000. With the lesser charge, he faces up to 10 years in jail and the same fine.

His sentencing is scheduled for July 5.