Dan Schoenberg, a Latah County Commissioner candidate, acknowledged his mistake in a 2006 petit theft case and said he will be accountable and humble if elected to the commission.
On Aug. 23, 2006, Schoenberg was charged with misdemeanor petit theft for $970 in unauthorized expenditures made by Schoenberg from the year 2000 through 2004 while working as the auxiliary services director at the University of Idaho.
He used money from his auxiliary services budget to make personal purchases. These purchases included tools, supplies, and building materials for personal home renovations. Auditors found other questionable charges but found them to have no criminal concern.
Schoenberg, also a partner at Palouse Properties in Moscow, has been dealing with some concern among voters and in online forums about his credibility and trustworthiness as a candidate.
Schoenberg, in an Argonaut email interview, said that voters deserve a direct answer.
“I made a mistake, accepted responsibility, and learned from it. It was a difficult experience for me and my family, but it reinforced the importance of accountability, humility, and earning trust through actions rather than words,” he said.
Schoenberg was originally charged with a felony count of misuse of public funds for $970 of personal purchases, but State v. Pruett in 2006 changed that. The case followed two Hagerman police officers who used the company credit card to purchase hunting licenses. The Idaho Supreme Court ruled that they could not be charged with misuse of public funds because they were not the ones directly in charge of the money. When applied to the case of Schoenberg, it meant that he too would not be charged with misuse of public funds, since he was technically not in direct control of public funds.
In light of State v. Pruett and the fact he was accused of spending less than $1,000 of school funds, Schoenberg pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor. Prior to sentencing, Schoenberg served 15 days in jail before being put on one year of probation. He had paid back more than $4,700 to the university and resigned from the UI position.
Olivia Maggs can be reached at [email protected]