SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A former Utah County commissioner has accepted a guilty plea deal to one count of communications fraud for his role in a scam where he and a businessman impersonated Mormon officials to trick companies into investing in an industrial park and rail line.
Three additional charges against Gary Jay Anderson had been dismissed Thursday as part of the plea deal.
Communications fraud is a second-degree felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison, but the plea deal could allow Anderson to avoid time behind bars.
The deal calls for Anderson to pay $162,606 in restitution. Prosecutors will recommend no more than six months in jail if Anderson comes up with $15,000 by the time he is sentenced Aug. 25, and no jail time if he produces $25,000 by then.