Accused embezzler faces hearing

SANDPOINT — An Oldtown man accused of embezzling nearly a half a million dollars from his former employer is being pulled back into court for allegedly trying duck paying restitution.

Jasen W. Johnson was charged with grand theft in 2009 for gaming Oldtown Family Foods’ accounting system to pocket thousands of dollars over a seven-year period. Johnson entered into a binding plea agreement in which he entered an Alford plea to attempted burglary.

Under the terms of a such a plea, a defendant admits no wrongdoing but concedes they could be convicted at trial.

Johnson, 55, escaped incarceration due to costly health problems. Johnson is the recipient of a heart transplant and undergoes dialysis three times a week, according to court documents.

At the time of his sentencing, Johnson’s medical costs were estimated at $25,000 per month, which is approximately the annual cost to taxpayers to incarcerate a healthy prison inmate.

The owners of Oldtown Family Foods essentially forgave Johnson, a trusted family friend, and said prosecution could have been avoided had Johnson simply been honest with them about his misconduct. Johnson made no apologies when he was sentenced.

Johnson’s plea agreement called for a suspended one- to three-year prison term and required him to pay $106,000 in restitution. The agreement further stipulated that Johnson place his Oldtown home on the market and to sell it for at or below market value in order to make good on restitution. The agreement also required that Johnson maintain the premises in a condition that retained its marketability.

Bonner County Chief Deputy Prosecutor Shane Greenbank argues that Johnson is violating the terms of his probation by holding out for a better offer and damaging the dwelling’s marketability, according to 1st District Court documents.

A Realtor reported that Johnson had a firm offer to buy his home for $379,000, but he balked at paying anything less than $359,000 and refused to make any repairs. Moreover, the home’s asking price has since been boosted to $419,000 and the odor of urine was so strong in one part of the house that the Realtor refused to enter it.

“Based on the foregoing it appears obvious that the probationer has no intent to comply with the court’s orders, and has even raised the price of his property to such an extent as to render it unsalable - thereby continuing to victimize his victims in this matter,” Greenbank wrote in a motion for a hearing in the case.

Johnson’s legal counsel has entered a denial of a probation violation and a hearing is set for Jan. 9, 2017, court records show.