Welch enters “not guilty” plea

COEUR d’ALENE – A 47-year-old Osburn woman accused of stealing millions of dollars from a Rathdrum construction company pleaded not guilty Wednesday in U.S. Magistrate Court in Coeur d’Alene.

Trina M. Welch pleaded not guilty to 15 counts of wire fraud, each carrying a sentence of up to 20 years in prison.

Welch is accused of stealing $3.6 million from Rathdrum-based Kasco of Idaho, LLC and Kasco Communications, where she was employed as an accountant for seven years until 2019, according to court records.

According to the indictment, Welch over a period of at least five years wrote at least 341 fraudulent checks from Kasco’s bank accounts, transferring cash from the company account to her own accounts. The amounts varied and started small, according to the indictment.

Welch allegedly used the money to buy a house in Post Falls as well as properties in the Silver Valley and St. Regis, Mont.

Kasco is a construction and telecommunication company that does work in Washington, Idaho, Oregon, Montana, and Alaska.

In addition to a 20-year penalty for each count, Welch could also be required to pay a $250,000 fine if she’s convicted, and be placed on supervised release three years once she’s out of prison.

The News-Press will continue to follow this story.