Former Idaho Councilman Gets Jail Time for Fraud

A former councilman from the eastern Idaho town of Rigby has been sentenced to 150 days in jail and 10 years of probation for insurance fraud.

The Post Register reports Lawrence Blackburn was sentenced on Monday. Prosecutors said he defrauded the estate of Margaret Ovick, who died in 2011, through his private investment firm, Lantech Financial. Prosecutors said Blackburn identified himself as Orvick’s son in her estate documents and listed three of his own children as beneficiaries of her estate.

In exchange for his modified guilty plea, prosecutors agreed to dismiss a grand theft charge.

Seventh District Judge Gregory Moeller said Blackburn made a choice to commit a crime, rejecting the former councilman’s claims that his actions were simply an accident.