Sentence for felony theft by swindle handed down in State of MN vs. Zenner case

In a case of felony theft by swindle in Pope County District VIII court in Glenwood on Tuesday, June 2, Jana Zenner was handed a sentence including five years of supervised probation plus restitution charges and community work service. The outcome came on the heels of a guilty plea submitted by Zenner in District VIII court on February 3, 2020.

On April 4, 2019, the state of Minnesota and Pope County charged Zenner with a Theft by Swindle felony charge under Minnesota Statute 609.52.2(a)(4).

That specific Minnesota statute applies for felony theft in an amount greater than $5,000. The total amount of money the state accused Zenner of stealing from the victim's personal checking account surpassed $48,000 from a Pope County senior citizen.

In addition to the five years of probation, terms of the sentence included, but are not limited to: 40 days of home monitoring beginning June 8 with work release privileges, 40 hours of community work service, completion of a psychological evaluation and following of any recommendations to include counseling, the inability to obtain new loans, checking or savings accounts without prior authorization from a supervising agent, no access to third-party accounts or funds including cash register or bookkeeping accounts, the inability to serve in a financial position or manage any money or fundraising for any type of community organization, the inability to be involved in any form of gambling or enter any establishment whose primary function is gambling or gaming, and completion of a budgeting class or seminar as approved by the supervising agent.

Other requirements included in the sentence include, but are not limited to, writing a letter of apology to the victim as approved by the supervising agent, cooperation with the directions of a probation officer, follow all state and federal criminal laws and have no direct or indirect contact with the victim.

Fees and restitution total $49,011.72, and of that amount, $48,921.72 will be paid back to the victim. A monthly payment schedule with strict adherence to the payment arrangement is in effect, and the conviction of the felony charge may be reduced to a gross misdemeanor upon successful completion of the five-year probation terms.