Today, in front of 8th Judicial Court Judge Carroll Brinegar, Kristin Eagle plead guilty to charges of charitable fraud and computer crime (Transaction Device). The computer crime charge is a class 2 misdemeanor which carries a maximum sentence of 12 months in county jail. The charitable fraud charge is a class class 5 felony and carries a maximum sentence of 3 years in prison.
The original charges included 6 counts; Count 1 – Theft (F3), Count 2 – ID Theft (F4), Count 3 -ID Theft (F4), Count 4 – Charitable Fraud (F5), Count 5 – Transaction Device (F5), Count 6 – Forgery (F5).
Deputy District Attorney Shaun Reinhart declined to pursue counts 1,2,3,and 6 as they pertained to her parents. Counts 4 and 5 however were against the public and pursued.
With Public defender Alison Wender at her side and her parents in the gallery, Eagle made a brief apology where she said “I believed with all my heart that I was sick with many physical illnesses, these were false beliefs and betrayal of my own mind”. Members of the cycling community attending the disposition shook their heads in disbelief. She had previously stated that she had terminal cancer, heart issues, rattlesnake bites and broken bones. During her statement she also claimed to have been diagnosed with “Post Traumatic Stress Disorder” and “Alternate Personality Disorder” (sic) and was benefiting from the prescribed medication. Eagle who is reportedly working for HomeDepot in Loveland will have to repay an undisclosed amount of money to her victims as part of the plea agreement.
Eagle will be sentenced on March 14th 2018 at 2:30pm. Several members of the Fort Collins cycling community, many who have attended each of Eagles 5 previous hearings, have already agreed to speak at the sentencing.
Eagle, the former owner/moderator of the now defunct mtbtime website and Facebook forum was arrested on charges including charitable fraud, theft, forgery, unauthorized use of a financial transaction device, and two charges of identity theft on Sept 14th, 2018. Eagle reportedly bilked the Fort Collins cycling community of tens of thousands of dollars in cash and product claiming to have had various illnesses and injuries including terminal cancer, heart issues, rattlesnake bites and broken bones. The local cycling community hosted various auctions, fundraisers and online donations over the past several years, and many gave her personal donations and gifts. Allegations of fraud were being investigated as early as July of 2017.
More information can be found here: https://goo.gl/VQr96P
