Press Release
Former Athol City Clerk Sentenced to Prison for Embezzlement
For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Idaho
COEUR D'ALENE - Sally R. Hansen, 39, the former Athol City Clerk, was sentenced today to 48 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for embezzlement, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. Chief U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill also ordered Hansen to pay a special assessment in the amount of $15,000, and to pay $434,112 in restitution to the City of Athol. Hansen pleaded guilty to the charge on January 21, 2015.
According to court documents, during the time of her employment, Hansen used the wires and fraudulently took $417,879 from the City of Athol. She did this by writing fraudulent checks to herself and her husband and using the wires to transfer money between different city accounts.
“The crime Ms. Hansen committed greatly affected the citizens and taxpayers of Athol,” said Olson. “Her repeated violations of her oath of office and responsibilities to be a good steward of the public trust have appropriately ended with a prison sentence.”
The case was investigated by Kootenai County Sheriff and U.S. Secret Service (USSS).
Today's announcement is part of efforts underway by President Obama's Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force (FFETF), which was created in November 2009 to wage an aggressive, coordinated and proactive effort to investigate and prosecute financial crimes. With more than 20 federal agencies, 94 U.S. attorneys’ offices and state and local partners, it’s the broadest coalition of law enforcement, investigatory and regulatory agencies ever assembled to combat fraud. Since its formation, the task force has made great strides in facilitating increased investigation and prosecution of financial crimes; enhancing coordination and cooperation among federal, state and local authorities; addressing discrimination in the lending and financial markets and conducting outreach to the public, victims, financial institutions and other organizations. Over the past three fiscal years, the Justice Department has filed more than 10,000 financial fraud cases against nearly 15,000 defendants including more than 2,700 mortgage fraud defendants.
Updated March 31, 2022
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