A Vancouver man who used his former employer’s corporate credit cards to make unauthorized purchases of more than $150,000 was sentenced Friday in Clark County Superior Court to 270 days in jail.
Paul R. Fite, 53, pleaded guilty in June to nine counts of money laundering for using credit cards belonging to Hewlett-Packard Co. to deposit cash into his personal checking account. He used the stolen money to pay for food, plane tickets, accommodations, car rentals and other property for his family and members of his paint ball team, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in Superior Court.
Fite also used his corporate credit cards to buy a military cargo truck for $3,960, which he then resold for $7,500, the affidavit said.
The purchases were made between January 2011 and March 2013.
The prosecution argued that Fite should spend a year in jail for his crimes. His Vancouver attorney, Jeff Staples, asked Judge Daniel Stahnke to consider a lighter sentence because this was his first offense. Staples suggested no jail time or up to 90 days in jail, instead.
There were many things happening in Fite’s personal life that made him “deviate” from his normal behavior, Staples added. He also argued that some of the charges on Fite’s corporate credit cards could have been considered legitimate purchases.
“He needs to get out there and attempt to pay back Hewlett-Packard,” Staples said.
A tearful Fite also asked the judge for a lighter sentence so he could work on paying off his debt to the company, which has operations in Vancouver.
In a deal with the prosecution, Fite agreed to pay more than $157,000 in restitution to HP. One count of money laundering and six counts of second-degree identity theft were dismissed in exchange for his guilty pleas.
Stahnke said he was troubled by the length of time over which the crimes occurred. “It was a planned theft of funds that didn’t belong to you,” he told Fite.
Fite, who apparently has a number of medical issues, asked if he could turn himself in at a later date. Stahnke agreed and ordered he surrender himself to the jail on Aug. 7. He was given credit for one day served in custody.
