SALT LAKE CITY — A resolution has been reached in the case of a North Salt Lake man who previously was charged with theft and securities fraud for allegedly persuading two people to invest in a company, then diverting funds for other purposes.
Dwight Shane Baldwin, 29, had been charged March 18 in 3rd District Court with two counts of securities fraud and two counts of theft, all second-degree felonies.
The securities fraud charges were dismissed on April 8, and the other two charges were amended to attempted theft, third-degree felonies. With that change, Baldwin entered into a plea in abeyance agreement that was approved by 3rd District Judge Robin Reese. A plea in abeyance permits a court to dismiss certain charges if particular conditions are met, and after that, the record is cleared.
In this case, Baldwin paid two investors $100,000 each, which he said he did that day.
Baldwin said in an interview Tuesday that a settlement agreement in a civil suit with the two investors had already been drafted and was ready to be signed in April when the Utah Attorney General's Office filed charges, which came as a surprise.
"I don't know if they knew that the settlement was in place," he said. "I understand they have to do what they have to do."
Baldwin said the legal tangle has been quite a learning process and came at an awkward time, but his firm, SilverLeaf Companies, had a stronger showing in the past quarter than the previous quarter.
"I'm satisfied to have this whole situation put to bed — it has nothing to do with my business today," Baldwin said.
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