A man was convicted in federal court in Fairbanks Wednesday for using bad checks, pretending to be an Army officer and for illegal possession of a firearm.
William James Clark, 37, pleaded guilty to writing at least 224 fraudulent checks in Alaska and around the country -- because Clark was convicted of a felony in Oklahoma in 2003, he could not legally possess the firearms found in his possession when he was arrested check fraud.
Clark will be sentenced by a judge in Fairbanks this October, but as part of his plea agreement, he will forfeit all of his guns without dispute, he will pay restitution of $66,893.52 to the victims he defrauded, and he will not request a trial.
Army Times reports that Clark has outstanding warrants in five other states, which can't bode well for his current sentencing prospects: he could serve 25 years in federal prison and be given a $250,000 fine for the charge of impersonating a federal employee alone.
"This type of offense usually has repercussions that catch up," said Stephen Cooper, the U.S. Attorney who presented the government's case against Clark. "He carried on this type of impersonation before, and it finally caught up to him again."
Contact Austin Baird at austin(at)alaskadispatch.com