Posted: Aug 2, 2005  11:54

Boundary County Prosecutor Jack Douglas reported that James Thompson, 39, received a sentence of 30 months to five years in the Idaho State Prison in Boise, ID. Thompson pled guilty to two counts of forgery and one count of possession of methamphetamine.

"My Deputy Prosecutor, Tevis Hull, and I agreed to recommend four to seven years in prison. We had to deal harshly with Thompson. He was part of a scheme with Theodore Sprenger to defraud others for his own benefit. Here we had a man who used his considerable intelligence to try to cheat others rather than work for an honest living," said Douglas. "Thompson and Sprenger had an elaborate plan that involved stealing mail and using special ink and computer programs to create false financial documents to defraud others. He intentionally and with callousness, put everyone in the community at risk. He and Sprenger, deserve their time in prison. When you hear on the late night news that people are out committing identify theft and putting you at risk, Sprenger and Thompson are two of the guys responsible."

Douglas said that Thompson’s lengthy criminal history was a factor in the prison sentence. However, the Prosecutors office felt it was just as important to send a message to the public, that identity theft and forgery are serious crimes in Boundary County.

“The State had to be tough in this case, since identity theft is a real threat. People deserve to know that local law enforcement is always trying to protect them from those who would harm them,“ said Douglas.

The District Court also ordered restitution. The Court ordered 30 months to five years on each of two counts of forgery and two to four years in prison for possessing methamphetamine.

"We considered this plan to be a representation of evil. There is no nice way to say it. Sprenger and Thompson thought only of themselves and picked on innocent people they did not even know," Douglas said.

Douglas added that both men would now have ample time in the state prison to re-consider the direction of their lives and perhaps decide to reform. These men could have used their talents and abilities to make an honest living and likely would have done well, but instead they chose to give into the temptation to seek an easy, illegal path.

The terms will run concurrently, which means they will be served at the same time. Thompson will serve 30 months before being eligible for parole.

“This was a tough sentence, so it should send a warning to others not to try a similar scheme. We take forgery and identity theft seriously," said Douglas, “Stealing mail, identity theft and forgery are not treated lightly here. Crimes of this nature show selfishness and disregard for others. One of the challenges facing law enforcement in the 21st century will be how to protect the public from identity theft. We protect the public by dealing harshly with cases of this nature. People even thinking about it, need to know that we will be harsh with them if they commit those types of crimes. So do not expect any mercy. Maybe criminals will be more reluctant to commit those crimes in our community.”