Man gets 18 months for theft, forgery
By Jane Beathard
The former West Jefferson man who joined with his wife to forge more than $52,000 in checks on a London plumbing business will spend the next 18 months in prison, following Monday’s sentencing in Madison County Common Pleas Court.
Brian Bogenrife, 38, whose last known address was a West Jefferson motel, pleaded guilty in November 2012 to multiple counts of theft and forgery involving Brewer Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning at 252 E. First St.
Amber Bogenrife, the company’s former bookkeeper, pleaded guilty to similar charges and received a probationary sentence earlier this month.
On Monday, Judge Robert D. Nichols denied a request by defense attorney Dale Frenz for community control and 13 months of drug treatment for Mr. Bogenrife at The Refuge, a locked-down, Christian-based facility for men.
Mr. Bogenrife apologized for his actions and voiced a similar request for drug treatment, saying he wanted to eventually get a job and repay Brewer.
Unlike his wife, Mr. Bogenrife has a lengthy history of theft convictions and probation violations, dating from 2002. That history made it unlikely Mr. Bogenrife would successfully complete drug treatment, assistant county prosecutor Eamon Costello argued.
Together, the couple forged $52,455 in checks on the Brewer company between February and July last year. The money fed the couple’s heroin addictions. Nichols said Mrs. Bogenrife forged more than $19,000 in checks on Brewer’s Huntington Bank account. Mr. Bogenrife forged more than $32,000.
Nichols ordered the pair to repay plumber Max Brewer. However, he noted at Mrs. Bogenrife’s sentencing that the likelihood of repayment was slim since felony convictions will make it difficult for both to obtain employment in the future.
In other common pleas court action in recent days:
• Nicholas V. Moone, 380 Long Trail, Ostrander, was sentenced to a year in prison for stealing more than $63,000 from Remedy Staffing in West Jefferson between July 2010 and April 2011. Moone worked for the temporary employment agency at the time.
He was sentenced in December 2011 to community control and ordered to repay the money. However, Costello said Moone paid only $55.84 of the bill and a portion of the court costs.
• Sean P. Lee, 47, 1600 Arbuckle Road, London, pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine and LSD on Aug. 15, 2012. A third count of possessing marijuana was dismissed by the prosecutor.
Nichols granted a request by defense attorney Jon Saia for an evaluation of Lee’s drug problem. If accepted into a treatment program, Lee is likely to be placed on a year of community control for the conviction.
• Richard L. Boltz, 21, 224 Toland Ave., London, pleaded guilty to trafficking the painkiller Oxycodone on May 16 and June 6, 2012. A third count was dismissed by the prosecutor.
Nichols set sentencing for Boltz on Feb. 28, following a pre-sentence investigation.
