Booking photo for Jason M. Schaub (Courtesy: Cache County Jail)
LOGAN — A 35-year-old Logan man has confessed to more fraud crimes in an effort to avoid being sent to prison. Jason M. Schaub has been in the Cache County Jail since his most recent arrest in December.
Schaub appeared for a virtual hearing in 1st District Court Monday afternoon, appearing by web conference from jail. He accepted another plea deal, pleading guilty to a pattern of unlawful activity and two counts of communications fraud, all second-degree felonies; along with forgery and identity fraud, both third-degree felonies.
Cache County Deputy Attorney Clark Harms told the court how Schaub had engaged in a financial scheme during the past year. The suspect would create checks on a computer and then cash them. He would also alter routing numbers and cash checks at multiple banks.
Previously, Schaub confessed to passing other fraudulent checks. He would give the checks to people, asking them to cash them, giving him the money. He would then cancel the checks, leaving the victims who cashed them out the funds.
During Monday’s hearing, public defender Mike McGinnis explained that as part of the current plea deal, prosecutors agreed to drop 14 remaining charges against Schaub. They also agreed to recommend that the sentence of the new case run concurrently with the other cases they had previously pleaded guilty too.
Schaub spoke only briefly. He pleaded guilty to the charges but did not give any explanation for committing the crimes.
Judge Angela Fonnesbeck expressed concern at first about the recommended jail sentence instead in prison. She later agreed to go along with attorney’s plea deal and ordered Schaub to continue serving 364 days in jail, giving him credit for time already served.
will@cvradio.com