n Brittney Jean Bomstad, 20, of Lake Lillian, was sentenced Friday to five years of probation, a $500 fine and 30 days in jail on a felony charge of check forgery.
She was also ordered to pay restitution of $1,539 to several businesses for bad checks and associated fees. As part of a plea agreement, another felony for check forgery was dismissed.
Bomstad received a five-year stay of imposition on her sentence, which means if she complies with the court's conditions, her conviction will be reduced to a misdemeanor.
She was ordered to serve 10 days in jail starting on Thursday, 10 days in November and 10 days in May 2009. The two latter segments can be deferred by probation.
She must also attend victim-offender mediation.
ADVERTISEMENT
The charges were filed after a Willmar attorney contacted Willmar police on Oct. 25 regarding forged checks on a man's account. The attorney had power of attorney for the man, who was terminally ill and has since died. The police investigation showed that four checks for a total of $1,450 were forged and cashed at a Willmar business. The business provided police a photo copy of the driver's license of the woman, identified as Bomstad, who had cashed the four checks.
When interviewed, Bomstad admitted to cashing the checks, one for cleaning services and the other signed by another family member. The man told police that he never paid Bomstad for cleaning and that the family member who supposedly signed the checks lives in Kentucky.
- Rosa Margarita Garcia-Lionicio, 22, of Willmar, was sentenced Friday to a year and a day in prison, which was stayed, on felony charges of wrongfully obtaining assistance and aggravated forgery.
She was also ordered to cooperate with agents from the federal Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, pay $100 in fines and serve five years of probation.
As part of a plea agreement, three additional felony charges and a misdemeanor were dismissed. She was not sentenced to additional jail time because she paid $1,227 in restitution.
The charges were filed after an investigation revealed that Garcia-Lionicio applied for medical benefits through Kandiyohi County Family Services in August. She was approved and was obligated to report employment and income information to the county. She claimed to not be employed at the time. Further investigation revealed that she was working at Jennie-O Turkey Store under an alias of Katiria Molina-Baez and was not reporting her income to Family Services. The county paid her a total of $1,227 in assistance between August and October. On Aug. 11, 2006, she applied for work under the false name and signed employment documents with that name.
