Bill Mercer, United States Attorney for the District of Montana, announced today that during a federal court session in Billings, on September 9, 2009, before Senior U.S. District Judge Jack D. Shanstrom, CINDY NAGEL WILDIN, a 51-year-old resident of Billings, appeared for sentencing. WILDIN was sentenced to a term of:

• Prison: 1 day (with 1 day credit)

• Community Confinement: 6 months

• Special Assessment: $100

• Restitution: $74,750

• Supervised Release: 5 years

WILDIN was sentenced in connection with her guilty plea to wire fraud.

In an Offer of Proof filed by the United States, the government stated it would have proved at trial the following:

From March 1, 2005, and continuing until February 16, 2007, WILDIN was employed as a title clerk for Rimrock Chrysler Jeep in Billings. During her employment, WILDIN was responsible for receiving payments from customers and entering those payments into the company's electronic books and records. WILDIN received payments from customers in the form of cash, checks and money orders.

As part of its bookkeeping process, Rimrock Chrysler Jeep utilized an electronic server housed in Utah. All payments from customers were to be entered into the computer system in Billings by WILDIN and transmitted by wire to the server in Utah.

During her employment, WILDIN took cash received by the dealership from customers for her own use. WILDIN concealed the missing cash through false entries into the company's books and records. Specifically, WILDIN falsely credited the wrong accounts in the computer bookkeeping system in an attempt to conceal the missing cash payments.

On February 16, 2007, as part of her scheme, WILDIN transmitted a wire communication regarding the posting of $211,521.59 in cash or checks received by Rimrock Chrysler Jeep from Billings to the computer server in Utah.

WILDIN stole $66,300 in customer payments during the course of her employment.

Because there is no parole in the federal system, the "truth in sentencing" guidelines mandate that WILDIN will likely serve all of the time imposed by the court. In the federal system, WILDIN does have the opportunity to earn a sentence reduction for "good behavior." However, this reduction will not exceed 15% of the overall sentence.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Margaret R. Gallagher prosecuted the case for the United States.

The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

 

 

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