Lapwai Man Sentenced for Stealing from Nez Perce Express

COEUR D’ALENE—Michael Charles Taylor, 39, of Lapwai, Idaho, was sentenced yesterday to 12 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for grand theft, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge also ordered Taylor to pay $9,146.88 in restitution. He pleaded guilty to the charge on June 15, 2011.

According to court documents, between July 1 and September 17, 2010, Taylor was employed at the Nez Perce Tribal Express store as a cashier. During his employment, Taylor processed fictitious returns of cigarettes and pocketed the money. During an interview with Nez Perce Police Chief Leslie Hendrick, Taylor admitted to stealing some money, but minimized the extent of his theft. A financial audit revealed that Taylor stole $8,146.88. As part of his plea, Taylor agreed to pay the store $9,146.88 in restitution, which includes a $1,000 deductible paid by the store to the insurance company that covered its loss.

Taylor has been jailed on the charge since March 2011.

The case was investigated by the Nez Perce Tribal Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

“Public employees have an obligation to serve honestly and with the best interests of their public in mind,” said Olson. “Mr. Taylor violated the trust of the Nez Perce Tribe to further his own personal gain. I commend the cooperative work of the Nez Perce Tribal Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. They worked together to ensure that Mr. Taylor was prosecuted and punished and to ensure that the Tribe’s money would be returned.”