Red Lake County, MN (trfnews.i234.me) – A Great Falls, Montana woman, Stephanie Michele Nipp, age 56, has entered an Alford plea in Red Lake County District Court after being charged with stealing over $500,000 from the Red Lake County Cooperative, Inc. through wire fraud.
Nipp’s Alford plea, filed Wednesday, July 17, means she maintains her innocence but concedes that the evidence against her is likely to lead to a conviction if the case went to trial. While Alford pleas are often part of plea agreements, no plea deal was filed in this case.
Instead, prosecutors intend to seek an aggravated sentence, citing factors such as:
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The major economic damage caused,
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The high level of planning involved, and
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The severity of the offense compared to typical theft by swindling cases.
Although Nipp faces a maximum of 20 years in prison, state sentencing guidelines recommend 21 to 68 months, depending on her criminal history. Prosecutors have not disclosed how much time they intend to seek.
Background of the Case
The investigation began last October when the general manager of the Red Lake County Co-op believed she had wired $573,818.75 to Sackett-Waconia, a company hired to build an agronomy facility. A month later, Sackett-Waconia inquired about the missing funds, leading to a shocking discovery — the email with wire instructions was fraudulent.
Authorities traced the funds to a Bravera Bank account in Great Falls, opened by Nipp the same month the fraud occurred. She had fraudulently incorporated a fake Sackett-Waconia company in Montana, listing herself as the incorporator. Surveillance footage confirmed Nipp as the person who opened the account, which received the full deposit and was later closed after multiple withdrawals.
A second felony charge of receiving stolen property is still pending, and Nipp maintains a not-guilty plea on that count.
She was originally held on a $5 million bond, later reduced to $1 million, but was recently granted release until her sentencing date of August 27 at 1:30 p.m. She signed a waiver of extradition, meaning if she fails to appear, she will be returned to Red Lake County without further legal process.
A pre-sentence investigation is currently underway.
I’m Chris Harper reporting for TRF News.