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Sentencing delayed after guilty plea on stealing son’s benefits

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com 

A Mason City man who was living in Floyd County at the time has entered a plea of guilty to stealing government support payments meant for his son after the boy’s mother died.

A sentencing date for Brian Charles Sachen, age 40, was originally scheduled for Monday, Jan. 7, but it has been postponed until February because a presentencing investigation was not completed.

Brian Sachen
Brian Sachen

Sachen was arrested in June for allegedly stealing more than $10,000. He was charged with first-degree theft, a Class C felony.

According to records in Floyd County District Court, Sachen allegedly enrolled as the payee representative for his biological son after the boy’s mother died in 2014. The boy was removed from Sachen’s custody in April 2015 by the Iowa Department of Human Services, but Sachen continued to collect the boy’s Social Security survivor’s benefit payments.

Sachen allegedly received $10,176 from June 24, 2015, to Sept. 28, 2016, by failing to notify the Social Security Administration that he no longer had custody of the boy.

Sachen originally entered a plea of not guilty and trial was set for September, then postponed until October.

On Oct. 29, Sachen pleaded guilty to the charge of first-degree theft, and a sentencing date was set for Jan. 7.

On Thursday, however, Sachen’s attorney filed a motion asking that the sentencing be delayed because the presentencing investigation had not yet been done, because the Mason City Department of Corrections Office had not been made aware that the investigation has been ordered.

District Court Judge DeDra Schroeder set the new sentencing date for Feb. 18. in Floyd County District Court.

Conviction of first-degree theft is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine.

 

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