Former Chehalis West employee pleads guilty to forgery and theft after stealing from residential facility in 2022

Nov. 15 – Former Chehalis West Assisted Living Community employee Robin M. Selstad, 50, of Chehalis, pleaded guilty Wednesday, Nov. 13, to one count each of forgery and first-degree theft after investigators discovered she had filed fraudulent work checks to her own bank account in 2022.

First-degree theft is a class B misdemeanor, while the forgery charge is a class C misdemeanor.

Under the plea agreement, Selstad will remain in the Lewis County Jail for 15 days before being released into community custody, where she will spend 12 months on probation for each offense.

Selstad was also ordered to undergo an investigation for substance abuse. A no-contact order was issued with Chehalis West Assisted Living Community.

She was originally arrested last July after Chehalis police concluded an investigation that began on December 27, 2022, after another Chehalis West employee reported that Selstad had deposited four “fraudulent checks made to appear as employer checks from Chehalis West,” according to court documents. .

Four checks, each for $1,262.86 totaling $5,051.44, were deposited into Selstad’s personal bank account, each with the issue date December 14, 2022.

Investigators discovered that a check had been made out to Selstad in March 2022 for the same amount of $1,262.86, and “it appeared as if it had been altered to pass subsequent fraudulent checks,” according to court documents.

When Chehalis West contacted Selstad about the checks, she stated she knew nothing about them and made no effort to return the money.

In a subsequent interview with Chehalis police, Selstad admitted to using her mobile banking app during the time the fraudulent checks were deposited, but claimed she had been “hacked” by someone who scammed her by offering to learn how to invest in Bitcoin. , according to court documents.

She was unable to explain how the scammer would gain access to the check template and admitted that no one else had access to her cell phone. Selstad also denied being contacted by Chehalis West about the fraudulent checks.

Investigators confirmed that the checks were deposited into her account through the mobile banking app, and found that during the investigation period, Selstad had a workers’ compensation claim denied by Chehalis West due to “an injury that did not occur at work,” according to court documents .