Women plead guilty to Benewah Market theft

Camille Ellen Desautel, 45, and Twilla Marie St. Pierre, 37, both of Worley, pleaded guilty Tuesday to theft from the Benewah Market, a Coeur d'Alene tribal organization, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced.

Desautel and St. Pierre were indicted by a federal grand jury in Coeur d'Alene on Oct. 21.

According to court documents, Desautel and St. Pierre admitted that on Aug. 21, they and a co-defendant entered the closed market and stole a sum of cash and checks worth approximately $22,650.

The charge of theft from a tribal organization is punishable by as long as five years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, and a possible three years of supervised release.

Sentencing for Desautel and St. Pierre is set for April 28 before U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge at the federal courthouse in Coeur d'Alene. Co-defendant Adam Lee SiJohn pleaded guilty on Dec. 10 and will be sentenced on March 3.

The case was investigated by the Coeur d'Alene Tribe and the FBI.