LOGAN — A 32-year-old Ogden man has admitted to stealing from a local business in 2023. Michael J. Shaffer Jr. accepted a plea deal to lesser charges and will now await sentencing.
Shaffer appeared July 28 in Logan’s 1st District Court. He pleaded guilty to one count of theft by deception, amended to a third-degree felony. Four remaining charges were dismissed as part of the plea agreement.
According to prosecutors, Shaffer obtained three checks from a Logan company without the knowledge of the company’s owner. He was never employed by the business.
On Jan. 6, 2023, Shaffer made one of the checks out to him and went to a Smithfield bank to cash it, in the amount of $3,797. Investigators noted the check number was out of sequence with the other checks currently being used.
The bank was able to pull photographs from the building’s surveillance cameras, showing Shaffer at the teller window. They were also able to give investigators an Ogden address, from the driver’s license Shaffer presented to the teller.
According to court records, Shaffer is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 17. He could face up to five years in prison.