Former business owner sentenced for receiving stolen property

WILLMAR - The former owner of an online auction service in Litchfield was sentenced to stayed prison time Wednesday on a charge of receiving stolen property.
Christina Marie Martinson, 34, of Pennock, was sentenced Wednesday to 17 months of prison, stayed for five years. Martinson was placed on five years of probation and ordered to serve 30 days of jail time, with credit for 20 days already served.
Martinson and co-defendant Devin Delbert Donald Blom, 28, of Pennock, each were charged with receiving stolen property after $1,000 worth of stolen items were recovered in April 2014 at the couple’s storage locker in Kandiyohi County. Martinson reportedly owned K-BID auction services and Blom was an employee of the business.
The pair was also charged with numerous offenses in Meeker County District Court after hundreds of stolen items were recovered at K-BID auction services in Litchfield, including a $27,000 diamond ring stolen from a rural Kandiyohi County residence and numerous machine shop tools stolen during the burglary of a Willmar business. Those items were also recovered in April 2014.
During Wednesday’s sentencing hearing, the prosecution read statements from two victims, one of which had been the victim of a home burglary.
According to this statement, the victim’s children had been the first to witness that the family’s home had been burglarized and, months later, still did not feel safe.
“You have ruined our children’s sense of security to the extreme,” the statement said.
Martinson declined to comment after the victim impact statements were read. Her defense attorney expressed sympathy. He argued that, while Martinson benefited from the burglary, she was not the actual perpetrator.
Before pronouncing Martinson’s sentence, Judge Jennifer Fischer asked Martinson how she had received the stolen property.
Martinson replied that she had only worked in the auction business for two months and had purchased the property using money she had won at the casino. She said she bought the items from people with whom she was not acquainted and said that she should have known the items were stolen.
Fischer said she did not believe Martinson’s account of the events.
“I don’t think you are taking full responsibility,” Fischer said “ … I’m not seeing a whole lot of remorse from you, not seeing a whole lot of progress from your using days. I think you can do better.”
Martinson was convicted in March in Meeker County District Court of two felony counts of receiving stolen property. As part of a plea agreement, three felony drug charges were dismissed.
Blom pleaded guilty to one gross misdemeanor charge of receiving stolen property earlier this month in Kandiyohi County District Court and is scheduled for sentencing on this charge June 22.
Blom also faces two felony counts of receiving stolen property and three felony drug charges in Meeker County District Court. A jury trial on this case has been scheduled for Aug. 18.