Attorney General Marty Jackley is bringing charges against two former state employees for their alleged role in forging vehicle titles.
The charges come a month and a half after Jackley’s office said it discovered a now deceased employee forged over a dozen titles to secure almost $400,000 worth of loans.
Lynne Hunsley has been indicted on seven counts of fraud-related charges including five felony counts and two misdemeanors.
Hunsley is accused of using her position within the Department of Motor Vehicles to falsely register a 2017 travel trailer.
Another employee, Danielle Degenstein, is charged with a misdemeanor concealing her knowledge of a felony to authorities during the investigation of a now deceased state employee who used over a dozen forged vehicle titles to secure hundreds of thousands of dollars in loans.
During a press conference on Wednesday, Jackley said neither defendant have made a court appearance.
Earlier this year, the attorney general’s office charged a former Department of Social Services employee with two felony counts of aggravated grand theft for stealing $1.8 million dollars. That employee has pled not guilty.
Jackley said the state needs better anti-corruption laws, including clear whistleblower protections and the ability for the auditor to investigate misbehavior.
He is also looking for legislation for transparency in the AG’s office and auditor protections. He said that included the auditor general, and state treasurer.
“I plan to work with those entities closer as we get toward session. To make sure that we put in place stronger auditing in the state. And fourth, transparency. And that transparency should apply to also to the Attorney General. As I said, I am asking for mandatory reporting to the Attorney General. As the Attorney General I would be happy to come before the legislature every session and provide a summary of how many reports we received. What we did with those reports, how many we investigated and how many charges we brought,” said Jackley.
Jackley said both people facing new charges are presumed innocent until proven guiltily.
