Case against woman accused of embezzling from Rentmaster dropped
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REXBURG — The criminal case against a Rexburg woman accused of embezzling money from her former employer has been dropped after a judge ruled there was no evidence she committed the crimes.
Jennifer Jill Handy, 39, was charged in February with four felony grand theft counts and three felony computer crimes for allegedly stealing more than $4,000 from RentMaster.
During a preliminary hearing in Madison County on Thursday, Judge Colin Luke dismissed all of the charges without prejudice. Handy is happy and pleased with the outcome, said her attorneys, Dan Dümmar and Jeff Brunson.
“Jenn Handy was not pocketing money,” Dümmar told EastIdahoNews.com. “She did not take money, she did not steal money, she did not deprive money from anyone. She was a scapegoat and an easy target, and we’re glad she can put this behind her.”
When she was arrested in February, Handy was on probation for embezzling more than $105,000 from the Forsberg Law Office, where she worked from 2008 to 2010. She was convicted on four counts of grand theft and sentenced to three to eight years in prison in 2010, according to court documents.
“It’s easy to rush to judgment against people just because of their past, and it’s neat to see the truth come out when someone is innocent,” Dümmar said.
Dümmar and Brunson are also representing Handy in a civil matter against Rentmaster. The company and its owner, Ronald Jaques, sued Handy and she then filed a countersuit.