Former police chief to be convicted

Thomas J. Schlicker, who was Swinomish Police Chief from 1997 until he was fired last September, entered a guilty plea in federal court on Wednesday for stealing tribal funds.

According to a press release from the office of U.S. Attorney Annette L. Hayes, Schlicker, 57, took a plea agreement in which he admitted he stole more than $30,000 that belonged to the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community by depositing police department money into a secret account and making withdrawals in cash.

He also admitted that he used the tribe’s gasoline credit card to buy fuel for his and his family’s personal vehicles. In all, according to the release, the tribe lost $33,622.

According to the court minutes, remaining charges against Schlicker, which included interstate wire fraud, will be dismissed when he is sentenced. The wire fraud allegation stems from the banks and credit card companies transmitting information on his accounts to their out-of-state offices.

Schlicker, who lives in Stanwood, is scheduled to be sentenced before U.S. District Judge John C. Coughner in Seattle on Nov. 10. If the judge accepts Schlicker’s guilty plea, which was made before a magistrate, the former police chief will stand convicted of a federal felony.

The maximum penalty for theft of tribal funds is five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. However, Emily Langlie of the U.S. Attorney’s office said it is unusual for a defendant to receive the maximum sentence in a plea bargained case.

“It is a sad day for the Swinomish Tribe to learn that our former police chief has pled guilty to stealing from us,” said Swinomish Tribal Chairman Brian Cladoosby in a written statement. “We trusted him to protect the tribe and keep our community safe. Instead, he took advantage of the tribe to enrich himself.

“Every one of those thousands of dollars stolen from the tribe is a dollar that we could have used to provide programs and services to our tribal members,” Cladoosby stated. “So I am pleased that Mr. Schlicker has now accepted responsibility, and we expect him to repay the tribe through restitution for the funds he took.”

In the plea agreement filed in the United States District Court in Seattle on Wednesday, it states that Schlicker has the right to request that the full amount owed to the tribe be reduced by the amount the tribe owes him. According to the document the tribe withheld his final paycheck, which was valued at $2,660, and compensation for accrued leave, valued at $12,660.

Langlie, with the U.S. Attor-ney’s Office, said the federal court uses a point system in determining the appropriate sentence for someone who is convicted of a federal felony. Generally, convicts with higher scores, ranging 30 and above, are the ones who receive longer prison sentences.

On the federal Sentencing Table, offenses ranked 8 and lower are recommended for no prison time to up to six months, while an offense ranked 43 warrants life in prison.

According to the plea agreement, Schlicker’s sent-encing base score is 6 — at the low end of the scoring.

A recommended sentence for him will be developed before his November court date, with the federal probation office weighing in.

While Judge Coughner is expected to consider the sentencing recommendations, he is not bound by them. Langlie said there is no way to determine until the judge makes his decision on how severe Schlicker’s penalty will be or whether he will actually receive prison time.

Schlicker was indicted by a federal grand jury on March 19 and was initially accused of 10 felony counts. His guilty plea was for one count, and under the plea agreement, the remaining charges are to be dropped at sentencing.

Schlicker admitted that starting in 2008, he put money into a Washington Federal account he opened in the name of the Swinomish Police Department, listing himself as the only authorized signer.

The tribe’s actual account, where the money was supposed to be deposited, was at Key Bank. In addition, all checks made out to the tribe are supposed to be handled by the tribe’s accounting department.

Money that Schlicker put into the Washington Federal account was from police activities such as the sale of seized vehicles.