Midvale man pleads guilty to fraud case involving purported gold mining operation

Booking photo for Jay Dick Frandsen (Courtesy: Cache County Jail)

LOGAN — A 67-year-old Midvale man has confessed to defrauding a Cache County resident of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Jay D. Frandsen accepted a plea agreement that could keep him out of prison if he is able to repay the money he stole.

Court records show Frandsen appeared in 1st District Court Wednesday morning. He pleaded guilty to two counts of issuing a bad check, a second-degree felony.

Defense attorney Michael McGinnis explained that as part of the agreement, prosecutors dropped 16 remaining charges in the case. The guilty plea will be held in abeyance, meaning Frandsen will not face any jail or prison time if he pays back $247,162 in restitution.

Prosecutors with the Cache County Attorney’s Office said Frandsen contacted the victim eight years ago regarding a gold mining outfit in South Africa. He told the victim the South African government was to purchase mining equipment worth millions of dollars and asked the individual to front money for fines, fees and taxes to facilitate the sale of the equipment.

Prosecutors report that Frandsen later issued bad checks between 2012 and 2015, in an attempt to reimburse the victim.

The case was scheduled for a three-day jury trial this month before attorneys reached the plea agreement.

During Wednesday’s hearing, Judge Angela Fonnesbeck accepted Frandsen’s plea deal and placed him on probation. She ordered him to make monthly payments and complete moral recognition therapy.

Frandsen was also ordered to appear again in court in May 2025, so the court can his progress in paying back the victim.


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