Gerald R. Mauch v. State of Indiana

33 N.E.3d 387, 2015 Ind. App. LEXIS 450, 2015 WL 3612979
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedJune 10, 2015
Docket06A01-1501-CR-16
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 33 N.E.3d 387 (Gerald R. Mauch v. State of Indiana) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Gerald R. Mauch v. State of Indiana, 33 N.E.3d 387, 2015 Ind. App. LEXIS 450, 2015 WL 3612979 (Ind. Ct. App. 2015).

Opinion

VAIDIK, Chief Judge.

Case Summary

[1] Gerald Mauch pled guilty to Class D felony theft and was sentenced to three years of probation. As a condition of his probation, he was ordered to pay $102,444.84 in restitution by the end of his probation. The probation department later filed a petition to revoke his probation because he failed to pay the balance. The trial court found that Mauch knowingly, intentionally, and willfully failed to pay his $102,444.84 restitution because he failed to apply for and obtain a reverse mortgage on his home — -an asset deemed sufficient to cover his restitution.

Mauch now appeals, arguing that the trial court abused its discretion in revoking his probation. According to the Indiana Supreme Court, although the State bears the burden of proving that (1) a defendant violated a term of probation involving a payment requirement and (2) the failure to pay was reckless, knowing, or intentional, the defendant bears the burden of showing facts related to an inability to pay and indicating sufficient bona fide efforts to pay so as to persuade the trial court that further imprisonment should not be ordered. We find that Mauch has met this burden. That is, in order to obtain a reverse mortgage on his home to pay his restitution, Mauch needed the consent of his wife, and she refused to consent. In addition, Mauch is seventy-six years old and suffers from several health issues, such as being blind in one eye, having neuropathy in his fingers, difficulty standing and walking, and inability to sleep in a bed, all of which affect his ability to get a job. We therefore reverse the trial court.

Facts and Procedural History

[3] In November 2007, Mauch, then sixty-nine years old, pled guilty to Class D felony theft. 1 The trial court sentenced Mauch to three years in the Boone County Jail, all suspended to probation. As a condition of his probation, Mauch was ordered to pay $102,444.84 in restitution. Appellant’s App. p. 27. Mauch was required “to pay the restitution in full prior to the conclusion of probation, and a payment [had to] be recorded each month.” Id. The court determined that Mauch’s home — which he owned in joint tenancy with his wife Barbara and which had $200,000.00 in equity — was a sufficient asset to cover his restitution. Tr. p. 59, 79, 86, 108. Mauch had planned to sell his accounting practice to pay his restitution; however, he lost his practice due to his theft conviction. Id. at 68.

[4] Three years later, in November 2010, Mauch still owed $97,994.84 in restitution. Appellant’s App. p. 30. The probation department filed a petition to modify and/or revoke Mauch’s probation. The petition alleged that although Mauch had been making payments, the amount had not been paid in full. Id. In May 2011, the trial court found that Mauch violated his probation. However, the court extended Mauch’s probation one year from May 17, 2011, to give him additional time to pay his restitution. At this time Mauch worked at Connor Prairie. Id. at 52. Mauch was ordered to pay no less than $75.00 a week while employed and $100.00 a month while not employed.

[5] One year later, in May 2012, the probation department filed a second peti *389 tion to modify and/or revoke Mauch’s probation. At this time Mauch owed $95,369.84 in restitution. Id. at 33. The petition alleged that although Mauch had been making payments, the amount had not been paid in full. Id. In January 2013, the .court found that Mauch violated his probation and extended it for another year from January 17, 2013. Because Mauch had been unemployed since 2012, the court ordered him to pay $100.00 per month toward his restitution. Id. at 34.

[6] One year later, in January 2014, the probation department filed a third petition to modify and/or revoke Mauch’s probation. At this time Mauch owed $94,344.84 in restitution. Id. at 36. The petition alleged, like those before it, that the amount had not been paid in full. Id. In April 2014, Mauch filed a motion to dismiss, which the trial court denied. The final probation-revocation hearing was set for October 2014.

[7] At the final hearing, the evidence showed that Mauch had paid $10,000.00 total toward his restitution, leaving a balance of $92,644.85. Tr. p. 35, 43. Evidence also showed that Mauch’s sole source of income was his monthly social-security check for $1,134.00. Id. at 62. Mauch’s probation officer testified that he complied with the court’s order by making payments of $100.00 per month except when he was hospitalized, and the only issue was the fact that the entire amount had not been paid before the end of his probation. 2 Id. at 44. The probation officer believed that Mauch should not have to serve any prison time. Id. In addition, Mauch testified that he had contacted several mortgage companies about obtaining a reverse mortgage on his home, but they would not give him such a mortgage. When the court asked Mauch for evidence that he had contacted mortgage companies, Mauch said that he did not have any evidence. Accordingly, the court found that Mauch violated his probation by knowingly, intentionally, and willfully failing to pay his restitution. 3 Id. at 87. The court acknowledged Mauch’s testimony that he was unable to obtain a reverse mortgage but found that Mauch’s testimony was not credible. Id. at 86. The court ordered Mauch to serve his previously suspended sentence of three years. Id. at 87. However, the court stayed the execution of Mauch’s sentence and set a status hearing for December 11, 2014, thereby giving him more time to pay the balance.

[8] At the status hearing on December 11, 2014, the now seventy-six-year-old Mauch testified that since the October 2014 hearing, he had contacted five or six mortgage companies, including Quicken Loans, Maverick Funding Corp., and American Advisors Group. Id. at 92-93, 95; Def.’s Ex. A (estimates from mortgage companies). However, he was told that he could not obtain a reverse mortgage without the consent of his wife, Barbara. Tr. p. 95. Mauch testified that he did not submit any applications because Barbara refused to consent, thus making the application process useless. Mauch also testified that he attempted to get “some jobs” but due to various issues — including being blind in one eye, not being able to write *390 due to neuropathy in his fingers,- having difficulty standing and walking, and having a criminal record — he was unable to secure one. Id. at 96. Although Mauch never submitted any job applications, he started to fill out an application for Meijer but stopped when it inquired into his criminal history. Id. at 98. Mauch said he would continue to make the $100.00 monthly payment from his social-security check for life if allowed. 4 Id. at 68. Based on these efforts, Mauch asked the court to reconsider the execution of his three-year sentence.

[9] Barbara testified that she was advised — by an attorney — not to sign anything for.

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Bluebook (online)
33 N.E.3d 387, 2015 Ind. App. LEXIS 450, 2015 WL 3612979, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gerald-r-mauch-v-state-of-indiana-indctapp-2015.