Josh Barta
jbarta@uwyo.edu
The Albany County District Court filled with people on Monday to witness the sentencing of former County Attorney Richard Bohling.
Bohling was sentenced to 2-4 years in prison by the District Court, followed by $45,000 in fines and more than $3,000 in restitution for five criminal charges related to the misuse of county money.
In November, Bohling was convicted of 4 felony charges of obtaining property with federal money under false pretenses and one misdemeanor count of official misconduct.
The jury acquitted Bohling of three felony charges of wrongful taking or disposing of property and submitting false vouchers including one misdemeanor count of wrongful appropriation of public funds.
The charges stem from March 2014 when fellow workers at the Albany County Courthouse suspected Bohling of buying electronic equipment, such as cameras and tablets, with government funds. The suspicions quickly grew into an investigation by the Department of Criminal Investigation.
Bohling’s bond will continue for 12 days, after which he will either have to surrender himself to Department of Corrections or post $50,000 bond to avoid going to prison before he can make his appeal.
Prosecuting attorney Christyne Martens recommended the court impose a 2-4 year jail sentence on Bohling following with a 5-7 year probation period, citing his former position “of trust” and legal roles.
