Embezzler receives deferred sentence

Flathead District Court Judge Heidi Ulbricht sentenced a Kalispell man on Thursday to a six-year deferred sentence for stealing more than $42,000 from a real-estate company where he worked.

He also will have to pay restitution.

A company representative wanted Timothy Travis Weller to spend some time behind bars.

Heather Smelker is the employee of Keller Williams Real Estate who discovered Weller had falsified 55 transactions over an 18-month period beginning in 2013 and hid them to avoid detection. Smelker testified that Weller denied any wrongdoing and continued to steal money even after the owners confronted him at first suspicion of any theft.

“Mr. Weller is a selfish human being who has shown absolutely no remorse for his crimes,” Smelker said.

Smelker said Weller bought a home and souped up his truck with the embezzled money. The date of the first theft coincides with the same month Weller bought his home and the company owner gave Weller a housewarming present, Smelker said. She said the owners struggled financially because of the lost money and it is a slap in the face that he won’t serve jail time.

“I would like to see Mr. Weller spend some time in jail to really reflect and feel sorry, show some sort of remorse for what he’s done,” Smelker told Ulbricht.

Ulbricht noted that the owners of the business had sent letters to her about the sentencing.

“I hope you’ve had a chance to read those and experience the impact that they were expressing in these letters and the impact and the damage you’ve done to them and their company,” Ulbricht told Weller.

Weller said nothing in his own defense, although his attorney Brent Getty said Weller has wanted to take responsibility since he was charged with the crime.

Weller paid back $16,000 prior to being charged, Getty said.

“This is Mr. Weller’s first felony conviction and I do believe that his actions since he was discovered to have admitted these thefts indicate that he is remorseful and does deserve a chance,” Getty said.

Getty pointed out that if he violates conditions of the probationary sentence, he could be sent to jail for up to 10 years. State law allows up to a six-year deferred sentence for most first-time felony convictions.

Reporter Megan Strickland can be reached at 758-4459 or mstrickland@dailyinterlake.com.