A Wasatch County woman who prosecutors said bilked thousands of dollars from a couple by posing as a wedding planner in the Park City area pleaded guilty Monday to several felony charges in two separate fraud cases.
Tania Clark, 37, entered the pleas in 3rd District Court after prosecutors agreed to waive several of the charges against her.
“She’s got sentencing coming up,” Summit County Attorney David Brickey said about the hearing scheduled for Clark Dec. 20.
Clark pleaded guilty in one case to unlawful acquisition, possession or transfer of a financial card and theft by deception, both second-degree felonies.
She stole about $28,000 from an Arizona couple by posing as a wedding planner in the Park City area, Brickey said.
Investigators claimed Clark was supposed to use the money “for room reservations, a photographer and alcohol to be served during the wedding in September.”
She instead used a stolen credit card to pay the Canyons for the room reservations, according to prosecutors.
Clark charged about $21,000 to the stolen card, Brickey said.
In a separate case, Clark pleaded guilty on Monday to two counts of unlawful acquisition, possession or transfer of a financial card, both third-degree felonies.
While an employee at Silver Mountain Sports Club and Spa Clark allegedly used the company’s American Express card to pay her $959 phone bill, according to court papers.
Clark did not have permission
from the business to use the card, Brickey said.
He said the woman also used credit cards belonging to two Silver Mountain members to pay her club dues and electrical bill without permission from the men. Clark was terminated from her job at Silver Mountain.
“I’m glad to hear justice was served and this person who took advantage of others’ trust will now be forced to pay restitution and pay for her crimes,” Silver Mountain owner Stanton Jones said in a telephone interview Tuesday. “I’m not her judge. But whatever the court decides I hope will be the appropriate sentence.”
He praised the detective work of the Park City Police Department.
According to Brickey, Clark has scammed other people out of thousands of dollars in the past.
While falsely claiming she had cancer, Brickey said Clark collected money from several donors in Utah about five years ago.
Clark claimed she needed the money to fund her medical treatment, Brickey said.
Clark was incarcerated this week in the Summit County jail. She was booked into jail Sept. 10.
Those convicted of second-degree felonies in Utah could be ordered to serve one to 15 years in prison. Convictions for third-degree felonies could each carry a sentence of up to five years in prison.