MISSOULA — A Whitefish interior designer has been sentenced to federal prison and ordered to pay restitution after admitting to defrauding customers.
U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich announced that 45-year-old Jennifer Michele Helm, also known as Jennifer Michele, will serve over four years in prison and must repay over $930,000.
Helm pleaded guilty in November 2023 to wire fraud and to aggravated identity theft, admitting to defrauding customers of approximately $900,000 and using the money for personal expenses.
Prosecutors alleged in court documents that beginning as early as 2016, Helm — while doing business as Sage Interior Design, LLC, Interior Design Service, and Jennifer Michele LLC — defrauded numerous customers.
Her scheme ensnared more than 20 victims.
A few of the victims came forward after Helm pleaded guilty, and Helm defrauded four more victims after her interview with the FBI in 2021 when she presumably knew she was a target of a federal criminal investigation.
To execute the scheme, Helm entered into agreements with customers to provide goods and services, usually by promising to order furnishings and fixtures as part of construction and remodeling projects, according to a news release.
The government alleged that in some instances, Helm presented her clients with invoices for items she knew she had not ordered and that clients never received.
In addition, Helm convinced two clients, a married couple, to give her their credit card number, which she was authorized to use to make purchases on the couple’s behalf.
Rather than make those purchases, Helm used the credit card and directed the proceeds of the transactions into her bank account.
When interviewed by the FBI, Helm said she was responsible for any misspent funds.
U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presided over the sentencing.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy J. Racicot prosecuted the case. The FBI conducted the investigation.
