Sentencing set in embezzlement case
SANDPOINT — A former Coldwater Creek employee accused of embezzlement has agreed to pay nearly a quarter million dollars in restitution, according to court documents.
A restitution hearing in Susan Alene Hopkins was set for today in 1st District Court, but was scotched after the state and the defense filed court documents indicating the two sides had agreed the amount of restitution in the case.
Chief Public Defender Isabella Robertson and Bonner County Deputy Prosecutor Larry Goins filed documents seeking $246,561 in restitution in the case.
The agreement clears the way for Hopkins to be sentenced on Aug. 20. She has been free on her own recognizance since the case surfaced in 2010.
Hopkins, whose married surname is Scott, was charged with grand theft for using a corporate expense account to rack up thousands of dollars worth of personal purchases. The investigation led to the filing of a second grand theft count alleging that she embezzled from the Panhandle Alliance For Education, an organization which supports the Lake Pend Oreille School District.
In an initial agreement with the state, Hopkins pleaded guilty to one of the counts and the other was dismissed. Hopkins also agreed to pay $251,943 in restitution, but Judge Steve Verby declined to adopt the agreement in light of lingering questions about her culpability.
Hopkins, 55, disputed that she was responsible for the initial restitution amount even though she agreed to pay it. The case was ordered into civil mediation, which produced a second agreement that was filed under seal until a new accord on restitution was reached.
The original plea agreement proposed three months in jail and a suspended prison term. It remains unclear if that proposal still stands.
Hopkins allegedly made scores of unauthorized purchases while employed as an executive assistant from 2006 to 2010.
Under the proposed restitution order, Hopkins would pay $137,104 to the Continental Insurance Co., $100,000 to Coldwater Creek and $9,457 to PAFE.