Woman receives forgery sentence

COEUR d'ALENE - A 38-year-old Coeur d'Alene woman has been sentenced to serve up to 12 years in prison for forgery.

This was Chanell Barto's second felony conviction, as she was also convicted of grand theft in 2012.

The sentence for forgery - issued by District Judge John Mitchell - includes the first two years being fixed and the remaining 10 years being indeterminate.

"This latest conviction involved Ms. Barto forging her husband's signature in order to obtain a loan from her employer," a press release from the Kootenai County Prosecutor's Office states.

"When Ms. Barto failed to make payments on the loan, the employer contacted her husband and learned his signature as a co-signer on the loan was forged."

Barto was booked into the Kootenai County jail on Aug. 5. Her charges were forgery, which has no bond, and petit theft, with a bond amount of $5,000.

The 2012 grand theft conviction stemmed from her embezzlement from the Elks Lodge, another employer of Barto.

The court also considered additional documentation that showed Barto is suspected of continuing her theft activities even while awaiting sentencing in this case.

Kootenai County Prosecutor Barry McHugh praised the work of his prosecutors and the Coeur d'Alene Police Department, and agreed with Judge Mitchell, stating that the sentence was appropriate in Barto's case as she has continued to victimize members of this community, and he hopes the sentence will deter this type of conduct in the future.