Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
By RICHARD JENKINS
Bessemer — While a plea agreement may still be reached, a trial date has been set in the case against former Ironwood Township treasurer Jyl Olson-DeRosso.
Unless a deal happens; jury selection is scheduled to take place April 30, with the trial beginning May 1.
Olson-DeRosso is facing ten felonies — five counts of forgery, one count of embezzlement by a public official, refusing to turn over records to a successor, removal and destruction of public records, using public money for her own use and diversion of taxes or public money by a public official.
The most serious charges against Olson-DeRosso, the forgery charges, each carry a potential maximum sentence of 14 years in prison.
Along with setting a trial date; the two sides also set March 16 as the next time they will meet. This could be one of the final chances for a plea hearing, according to Gogebic County Prosecutor Nick Jacobs, if one is reached in the case.
The charges against Olson-DeRosso stem from the five years prior to her loss in the November 2016 election.
When announcing the charges; Jacobs alleged Olson-DeRosso took a total of $196,862 from two township funds over the five-year period, primarily by issuing checks to herself and using cash funds.
Since charges were announced, the township has hired Plante Moran to conduct a forensic audit of the township’s finances in an effort to determine the full scope of the alleged crimes.
The audit is still being completed, which has largely held the case up until now.