Retirement Dashed for Swindled Printer —Michelson

After reaching a pre-trial settlement with prosecutors, Garrow plead guilty on April 28 to forgery and tax evasion. She has agreed to pay restitution of $607,739 to Vermont Graphics, as well as up to $81,000 to the IRS for unpaid taxes. Although the judge has the discretion to determine how much prison time Garrow will actually serve at her sentencing hearing on Sept. 13, Gehly says the U.S. Attorney prosecuting the case has already recommended a 24- to 36-month sentence as part of their plea agreement. Prosecutors also dropped the most serious charge she faced: one count of bank fraud, which carries a maximum $1 million fine and 30 years behind bars. "It seems like the perpetrator has all the (legal) rights," Gehly told me, in describing our justice system where a serious charge can be dropped just to avoid a trial. "She came into work every morning, smiled at everyone, and then proceeded to forge my daughter's signatures."