SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) - Federal prosecutors have dropped all felony money laundering charges against an Idaho doctor whose ex-wife was involved in a multi-state drug trafficking operation.
The charges were dismissed in exchange for Coeur d’Alene gastroenterologist Stanley Toelle pleading guilty to misdemeanor charges for not reporting his former wife’s income to the IRS, The Spokesman-Review reported (https://bit.ly/2oyJ5IP) on Tuesday.
“It’s pretty rare for the government to take a knee on 10 felonies,” said Stanley Toelle’s attorney, Nick Vieth. “I’m glad they were able to see that this is justice. The biggest thing he’s guilty of is marrying the wrong woman.”
Loren Toelle pleaded guilty in January to a drug-dealing conspiracy for her role in the drug trafficking ring that stretched from northern Idaho to North Dakota. Stanley Toelle has maintained that he knew nothing about the criminal activity.
All 11 defendants involved in the case were prepared to testify that Stanley Toelle was not involved, Vieth said. He added that they “felt very secure in the fact that we’d be able to prove that at trial.”
As part of the plea agreement, Stanley Toelle will pay about $48,000 in back taxes for 2012 and 2013, the years he did not report his ex-wife’s income while she worked as a stripper in Las Vegas.
Stanley Toelle has given various explanations as to whether his ex-wife’s income came from stripping or a hair business, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Traci Whelan.
“What was undisputed was the fact that none of that income got reported,” she said.
Stanley Toelle was put on leave from his job at Kootenai Health following his February 2016 arrest.
He faces up to a year of jail time when he is sentenced, but Vieth is optimistic the court will show leniency.
“I really want him to get back to work and I’m sure his patients do, too,” Vieth said.
A sentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled.
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Information from: The Spokesman-Review, https://www.spokesman.com
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