Judge tells Rexburg woman she ‘hid behind innocent eyes and a sweet voice’ as she scammed others
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REXBURG — A woman convicted in a townhouse rental scam could spend up to 12 years in prison.
Ashley Nicole Vidrine, 26, was sentenced Monday to four years fixed plus eight years indeterminate for felony grand theft and felony computer crimes. She will first serve up to one year in prison on a rider program. Following that, the court will decide how much, if any, of her sentence will be served. A rider is a rehabilitation program that can last anywhere from six months to a year.
Vidrine was given a $1,000 fine that District Judge Gregory Moeller said was small because he does not want the fine to impede her paying full restitution to the victims.
“You are the worst possible kind of thief because you didn’t hide behind a mask or hide behind a gun,” Moeller said. “You hid behind innocent eyes and a sweet voice.”
In her statements, Vidrine said she did what she did because of her marriage.
“When you’re in a controlled relationship and you’re not allowed to have your own financial, you know, you have to — it was financial stress and struggles,” she said. “Everything was controlled by my ex-husband. The amount of money, where it went and I just wanted freedom from that.”
One of the victims read a victim impact statement and said Vidrine stole $1,000 from her and her family. She said Vidrine formed a bond with her through her husband’s military service and having small children similar in age to the victim’s.
“To do this to the wife of a veteran — seven months pregnant — the complete lack of empathy is appalling to the court,” Moeller said.
Vidrine was arrested on Oct. 5, 2017. Police reports show she was fraudulently advertising a townhouse for rent without the intent of actually renting it and accepting down payments from unsuspecting victims.
A total of $3,500 was taken on three separate occasions in September from an unknown number of victims, Capt. Randy Lewis told EastIdahoNews.com.
Vidrine has two children, a two-year-old daughter who is now in foster care and a 6-month-old son who is in the custody of his father.
Vidrine has an outstanding warrant in Michigan for check fraud which she pleaded guilty to but never showed up for sentencing. She also has a warrant in Utah for credit card fraud.