Local woman who embezzled over $26k sentenced to 5 years probation and restitution
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IDAHO FALLS — A local woman was sentenced after pleading guilty to felony fraud after she embezzled over $26,000 from her former employer in 2023.
Amanda Marie Gunderson accepted a plea agreement admitting guilt to felony fraud and criminal possession of a financial transaction card or number to purchase goods or services.
She was also originally charged with grand theft, but that charge was dismissed as part of the plea agreement in March.
According to court documents, a representative of Edge Construction and Concrete LLC reported that money was missing from their bank account and began investigating in 2023. The investigation centered on Gunderson, who was hired as the company’s bookkeeper that year.
A document showing that $18,910 was embezzled and that Gunderson had generated 16 fraudulent payments due to her position within the company was provided to law enforcement.
A Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office deputy contacted Gunderson but was told she wanted to get an attorney before speaking with law enforcement. The document states that a search warrant for her bank account was obtained, which showed other fraudulent transactions, increasing the amount to $26,626.
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Sentencing
During the sentencing, Bonneville County Prosecutor Randy Neal said the plea agreement calls for probation with an underlying sentence and potential jail time.
He said the probation term would be the maximum allowed under the felony statute, which is five years. He told District Judge Dane Watkins Jr. the state recommended an underlying sentence of one and a half years fixed and three and a half years indeterminate.
However, he expressed concern over the recommendation due to Gunderson’s past. He cited the woman’s four misdemeanor charges for petit theft and willful concealment of goods. According to court records, three of the four petit theft charges were dismissed.
Regarding Gunderson’s pre-sentence investigation report, Neal stated the comments she made were an attempt to minimize the impact of the crime she committed. Due to this, Neal said that the deterrence and protection of society factors, when it comes to sentencing, would have been met if she had taken accountability, but in his eyes, she hasn’t.
“It certainly seems that there’s blame being placed on circumstances or that it was an accident,” Neal said. “Without that, I think that it just changes the way we perceive this case.”
Neal said due to the factors of her past and the pre-sentence investigation, he also recommended that she spend six months in jail before being granted probation.
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Gunderson’s attorney, Jake Summers, told the court the state’s recommendation of six months in jail would upend her life and her attempts to make amends.
Summers said Gunderson has been working full-time since her initial arrest and pursuing her degree in nursing, but she will have to make a switch due to the felony charge.
Summers said if the court decided to give her the state’s recommendation of local jail time, after six months, Gunderson could lose her job and would struggle to pay the restitution on time, putting her at risk of violating her probation.
“That’s just a burden on the court, that’s a burden on the state, a burden on everyone,” Summers said. “The easiest path to making this right is to be released onto probation for a term.”
Summers told the court his recommendation was to put Gunderson on probation for three years, which would allow her to finish her degree and maintain her job.
Looking at her history, Summers said this would be Gunderson’s first felony sentence, and her prior charges came during a rough patch in her life.
“There are exigent circumstances surrounding that incident that incorporate into why that occurred, and outside of that, it’s a pretty clean history,” Summers said.
His recommendation sets her up to make things right, make the victim whole again, and sets her up for success in her future.
Gunderson told Watkins she believes she has to make things right and that “I am sorry, and I’m trying to do better.”
Watkins sentenced Gunderson to five years’ probation with an underlying sentence from the state of one and a half years’ fixed and three and a half years’ indeterminate. She was given 120 days in jail, but was granted work release.
Regarding restitution, Watkins asked what the total was and about Gunderson’s current employment. He was told the amount was $26,626, but it may increase.
The state has 30 days to file the full amount; otherwise, Watkins said Gunderson will have to pay $26,626 in restitution.
Watkins told Gunderson that she needed to pay off the $26,626 before the end of her probation, and that her monthly obligation, if the amount didn’t increase, would be around $440.
“You’ll need to be aggressive about that,” Watkins said.
She was also fined $1,000 in court costs and $400 for reimbursement of the services of the public defender.
Watkins told Gunderson that his goal for her is to work on paying the restitution, making the victim whole again, and working with her probation officer. However, he warned Gunderson that if she fails to make payments or if her probation fails, she should go to prison.
“I hope that (this) won’t impact your ability to better yourself by obtaining that degree and working in an industry that serves others… and when you look back upon this event, (as) a changed person,” Watkins said.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story failed to mention Gunderson was sentenced to serve 120 days in jail and was granted work release. The story has been updated with the correct information.