ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, February 7, 1997 TAG: 9702070050
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MEGAN SCHNABEL STAFF WRITER
The Bedford County man who has confessed to creating thousands of dollars worth of counterfeit payroll checks will get prison time for his crimes - and perhaps counseling for what he calls his "craving," a federal court judge said Thursday.
Judge James Turk sentenced John Joseph "Jack" Swint, 42, of Montvale to 22 months in prison on each of eight counts, to be served concurrently, followed by 30 months on probation. Swint also must make restitution on 45 bad checks, worth about $13,500, that he passed in Virginia and surrounding states.
Turk said he will recommend Swint receive psychological counseling while in prison, as well as follow-up treatment during probation. While on probation, Swint may not open checking accounts or credit lines without the court's permission.
Swint in November pleaded guilty to eight counts of creating and passing counterfeit checks. Under sentencing guidelines, he could have received from 18 to 24 months in prison and up to $20,000 in fines. Turk did not impose a fine because Swint has been unemployed for most of the time since his arrest.
In April, Swint told The Roanoke Times that he had created hundreds of counterfeit payroll checks worth more than $200,000 in recent years. But, Swint said, he didn't do it for the money. It was, he said, a "craving" that he couldn't overcome. He said he started writing bad checks when he was 11.
Swint told the newspaper and his then-wife about his check-cashing history last spring because, he said, he wanted to get caught. He turned himself and his check-making equipment over to the Bedford County Sheriff's Office in late July.
Swint said Thursday that he is relieved the federal proceedings - and, he says, his check-cashing days - have ended.
Swint faces related bad-check charges in Bedford and Botetourt counties and Lynchburg. Those cases are scheduled to be resolved within the next three weeks. He will report to the federal prison in either Beckley or Morgantown, W.Va., on Feb. 24.
LENGTH: Short : 44 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: (headshot) Swint. color.by CNB