Former Atkinson Township Supervisor Traci Juntunen was sentenced Wednesday for two felony counts of theft by swindle committed when she was township supervisor.
Although the monetary amount was not large -- $600 in falsified claims to the township -- they were charged as felonies because they involved public money. Under the terms of a plea agreement, two of the charges were rolled into one and Juntunen pleaded guilty July 28 to only two felonies but all of the actions.
Juntunen was sentenced to three years for her crimes, though the sentence was stayed. Under the terms of the plea agreement, she will be required to serve a maximum of 120 days and pay $600 in restitution to the township. She also was instructed to abstain from alcohol or illegal drugs, submit to random tests, submit relevant DNA tests and commit no similar crimes while on probation. She also has to pay $585 in fines and fees. Under the stay of imposition, if Juntunen successfully completes her sentence and probation, the felony charges will be reduced to misdemeanor theft charges.
The biggest unknown Wednesday was not the terms of the plea agreement but rather how Juntunen would serve her sentence: in jail, by doing community service, under electronic monitoring or as part of the Sentence to Serve crew. The "how" of the sentence was up to Judge Robert Macaulay, although the plea agreement did outline two staggered sentences of 60 days each, with the second 60-day sentence possibly dropped.
Township resident Bob Asproth, who was appointed to replace Juntunen when she resigned her supervisor's position during the investigation, was selected to read the victim's impact statement.
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Asproth requested that Juntunen pay restitution of $3,904 to the township for the audit that uncovered her false claims.
Juntunen also addressed the court. She asked the court to allow her to stay out of jail and be with her family.
"I apologize for any inconvenience to the community, my family and my friends," she said, "and I will accept any sentence the court imposes."
In the end, Macaulay offered Juntunen a choice: Serve her staggered sentence in the Carlton County Jail, which would mean 40 days instead of 60 with good behavior for the first half, or serve her sentence on the Sentence to Serve crew, all 60 days. In either case, the second 60-day sentence would be reviewed and Juntunen probably wouldn't serve it provided she fulfilled all her sentencing obligations before the February review date.
