A Maine man was ordered to pay $12,000 restitution Aug. 4 to an Elkhorn company after taking money for equipment that he failed to deliver.
Mark C. Bates, 45, of Gorham, Maine, pleaded guilty to theft of more than $10,000 by false representation and was sentenced Aug. 4 to pay $12,000 in restitution and a $500 fine and provide a DNA sample.
According to the complaint, Continuous Motion Packaging in Elkhorn wired Bates $12,000 for a Shanklin wrapper, a shrink-wrap machine used for packaging, on March 6, 2015. After sending the money, James and Amanda Hertel, of Continuous Motion Packaging, did not receive the machine and had difficulty reaching Bates, an equipment broker for T2 Assembly Services whom they had worked with since 2004, according to the complaint.
At one point, Amanda Hertel reached Bates by phone, and he said he was in the hospital, and the Hertels were unable to locate him after that. The Hertels reported the matter to police, who made contact with Bates, who said he had difficulty reaching Michael Jackson, of Duplium Corp. in Texas, who was to supply the machine, according to the complaint. Police made contact with Canada-based Duplium and learned the Texas branch of the company had been closed for four years and Jackson no longer worked there.
Bates then told police he believed he had a deal with Jackson to purchase the machine but admitted spending the money after he was unable to reach Jackson, according to the complaint. Bates said he has drinking and gambling problems and was having financial difficulties, according to the complaint. He admitted he lied to Amanda Hertel about being in the hospital to “buy time.”
