FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
| Date: | July 22, 2024 |
| Contact: | Emily Lowe Public Information Officer 208-287-7700 |
BOISE – Local business owner, 60-year-old Michael J. Eisenbeiss Jr., was sentenced for 16 criminal charges related to fraudulently writing checks, withholding funds, and forging lien waivers.
The Honorable Ada County District Judge James Cawthon sentenced Mr. Eisenbeiss to up to 17 years in prison with two years fixed before being eligible for parole and was ordered to pay $352,683.03 in restitution to his victims.
Between September 2018 and April 2019, Mr. Eisenbeiss, who was a part owner of Azure Properties LLC, contracted the work of several local businesses to build custom residential homes in Eagle and Star, and fraudulently wrote over $150,000 worth of checks while knowing he did not have the funds or credit from the bank to cover the labor. He also took money from his clients under the guise that the money would be paid to sub-contractors, but kept the money and did not pay many sub-contractors for their work. He also wrote counterfeit lien waivers by forging the amount, date, and notary stamp.
In June 2024, an Ada County jury found Mr. Eisenbeiss guilty of all 16 charges, which included 12 counts of issuing an insufficient funds check, two counts of grand theft, and two counts of forgery.
“This defendant’s conduct left a trail of victims who were negatively impacted by his criminal conduct,” said Ada County Prosecutor Jan Bennetts. “The Ada County Sheriff’s Office spent over 500 hours investigating this case. I appreciate law enforcement’s thorough investigation, the Ada County jury’s time and attention during the trial, and my trial team’s hard work on this case.”