Idaho Man Sentenced for Timber Theft in the Sawtooth National Forest

BOISE - Mark Allen James, 23, of Twin Falls, Idaho, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to three years of probation for theft of government property, U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis announced today.  U.S. District Judge Winmill also ordered James to pay $1,680 in restitution. James pleaded guilty to the charge on May 26, 2020.

According to court records, during the fall of 2018, James repeatedly harvested timber from the Deadline Ridge Summer Home area of the Sawtooth National Forest. The timber harvested was the property of the United States, as it was located on national forest land. James harvested timber without a lawfully obtained permit to do so. James would sell the illegally obtained timber online. Law enforcement interviewed James at the conclusion of their investigation. He confessed to harvesting twelve cords of firewood and selling it for $140 per cord.

This case was investigated by the United States Forest Service.

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