Man sentenced to probation for stealing unemployment benefits

A Kalispell man will have to pay back to more than $11,000 in unemployment benefits that he admitted he stole from the state, plus a 33 percent penalty.

Tony Molyneaux, 42, was ordered to pay the $13,622 balance remaining of the total $14,877 owed the state on Jan. 12. Molyneaux had already made some payments against the debt. Flathead District Court Judge Dan Wilson also gave Molyneaux a six-year deferred sentence in the case, in which Molyneaux pleaded guilty to felony theft. A deferred sentence allows an individual to serve time on felony probation and petition the court to have the conviction removed from his or her record. It is permitted by the legislature for first time felony offenders who commit non-violent crimes.

Wilson pointed out to Molyneaux that he did not necessarily believe that based on Molyneaux’s criminal conduct that Molyneaux deserved a deferred sentence, but that the judge would grant one.

“A deferred sentence is an act of grace by the court,” Wilson said.

In previous hearings, Molyneaux admitted that he claimed more than $15,000 in unemployment benefits between June 2011 and June 2012, after he reported that he had worked approximately 500 hours for Meat Production Inc. In reality, state inspectors found that Molyneaux had worked more than 2,200 hours and was only titled to approximately $4,000 in benefits.