Bozeman man gets prison time, must pay $369,000 for fraud

 MISSOULA (AP) — A Bozeman man who pleaded guilty to embezzling nearly $370,000 from his elderly and disabled clients has been sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison and ordered to pay restitution.

William Wise, 50, was sentenced Thursday by U.S. District Judge Dana Christensen in Missoula. Wise pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud in May.

Prosecutors said Wise and another man started a business called Walking Cross Inc. that provided financial services and administrative support to nursing homes. In 2000, Walking Cross began a service to manage the finances of the elderly and disabled, including those who received benefits from Social Security, Veterans Affairs and the U.S. Railroad Retirement Board.

Charging documents say that between September 2008 and January 2012, Wise took money from 36 clients to pay his own bills.

Gayle Hegland testified that Wise took nearly $8,500 she received from Social Security that she planned to use to find permanent housing and buy a used car. She said Wise then refused to give her enough money to visit sick and dying relatives.

Helen Carey, a personal representative for a woman who died after suffering dementia, said Wise took more than $87,000 of the woman’s money over a four-year period.

“It’s wrong that Bill Wise had the benefit of (the woman’s) hard labor instead of the beneficiaries of her estate,” Carey said.

Wise apologized and said he was ashamed of his behavior. He said he used client funds for credit card bills, personal living expenses and to support a catering business.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Chad Spraker said that while Wise doesn’t have a criminal history, he does have a history of similar behavior, including taking $26,000 from his mother-in-law in 2009. She declined to report it to law enforcement, Spraker said.

“We would note the shame and embarrassment wasn’t enough to stop him,” Spraker said in seeking a sentence of four years and three months.

Defense attorney Al Avignone sought a 15-month sentence, citing his client’s “exemplary” behavior since the investigation started in 2012.

“I think 30 months is long enough for this individual,” Christensen said.

After his release from prison, Wise will be required to pay $500 a month in restitution. Under that schedule, it would take him 61 years to repay the money.