Inkom woman gets rider for tax evasion, embezzling over $100K
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POCATELLO — A woman who pleaded guilty to felony tax evasion and embezzlement charges has been sent on a rider.
Candace Page Raschke, 53, entered the pleas after reaching an agreement with the Bannock County Prosecutor’s Office, according to court records. In exchange for the guilty pleas, felonies for grand larceny, two counts of perjury, two counts of grand theft, and an additional count of tax evasion were dismissed.
At an April 17 sentencing hearing, District Judge Robert Naftz sent Raschke on a rider, with an underlying sentence of five to 10 years.
A rider program is where a judge sends a person to prison for up to a year to undergo different treatment programs. When the inmate has completed the program, the judge can then decide to send them back to prison for their sentence or release them on probation.
Charges against Raschke were filed in 2022 following an investigation, which found that in her time as a bookkeeper at a Chubbuck company, she “committed a number of thefts in various manners,” court documents show.
Court documents show Raschke was an office and administrative manager at Mental Health Specialists — a company in Chubbuck that offers mental health counseling — at the time of the crimes.
According to the records, Raschke reported personal purchases as business purchases to the company and received reimbursement from the company. Those reimbursements were not reported on her taxes.
Raschke also used a business ATM card to withdraw funds for personal use, reports show, multiple times.
She also took petty cash money from the company to make “personal, non-business” purchases, including a Netflix subscription and Amazon and Costco purchases and automobile repairs.
Reports show Raschke stole over $100,000 from the company.
Because she failed to report the monies illegally used, which occurred between 2016 and 2017, and signed her tax returns, she was charged with tax evasion and perjury.
In addition to the rider, Raschke was ordered to pay $16,996.50 in court fees and fines and in restitution to Mental Health Specialists and the Idaho Tax Commission.