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PROVO — Ora Argyle said it is impossible to gauge the "soul-crushing" impact Candace Lierd has had on her.
As Lierd's personal assistant at her anti-trafficking nonprofit, Exitus, she was led to believe she was working for a worthy cause. Instead, she said Lierd was taking advantage of her while she was vulnerable.
"She took the best of me as a human being," Argyle said. "I couldn't look a suffering human being in the face and look away. … Using my heart was the ultimate con."
She was one of many people who consider themselves victims of Lierd's fraud to speak at her sentencing on Tuesday.
Lierd, 38, of Lehi, was sentenced to prison on Tuesday for nine felonies, including communications fraud, forgery and theft. She had been released from jail following her plea in August, but was handcuffed and brought into custody immediately after sentencing while many she had hurt watched from the courtroom.
The sentence
Fourth District Judge Christine Johnson ordered Lierd to serve five sentences of one to 15 years in prison for a pattern of unlawful activity, two counts of communication fraud, theft by deception, and theft of services, all second-degree felonies. She also sentenced her to four terms of zero to five years in prison for forgery, communication fraud and two counts of unlawful conduct, third-degree felonies.
She ordered three of the one-to-15-year sentences to be served consecutively, while the others will run concurrently, meaning Lierd would spend at least three years and as long as 45 years in prison.
In all, Johnson said, Lierd took about $2 million, causing substantial monetary loss.
Lierd pleaded no contest to the charges in June under a plea deal that dismissed 19 similar second- and third-degree felony charges.
Lierd's attorney, Craig Johnson, argued that 48 months of probation would be an appropriate sentence. He said this would allow her to earn money to pay restitution.
"That's the best way to compromise the difficult decision the court has today," he said.
Utah assistant attorney general Craig Barlow argued that prison is appropriate in this case. He said Lierd is a dangerous person who has an ability to convince people to trust her.
Lierd's comments
Lierd spoke for about 30 minutes, sharing her experiences and reiterating that "despite the circumstances" there were people that did a lot of good.
She told her side of some stories shared at the hearing; she said she was overworked, and justified cutting corners. "I am eager to rectify and right the wrongs done," she said.
Lierd also spoke about the pain of being separated from her children. "The ramifications have spread deep and wide and I have felt them just as deeply," she said.
Lierd insisted she didn't embezzle from Exitus, noting that those charges were dismissed as part of the plea deal.
"I am deeply sorry to those affected not only by my actions but also by the ramifications of the circumstances. … So many people that I deeply loved were deeply hurt," she said.
The judge said she found it "extraordinary" that most of Lierd's comments related to problems she has encountered since the charges were filed against her.
"It's a little tone-deaf considering the circumstances that you're in, to not recognize the harm that was done to others … by your own hands," Johnson said.
The judge said Lierd spoke passively, as if it were an unknown entity instead of her own actions that caused the hurt.
Victims call for maximum sentence
Each of the victims who spoke at the sentencing asked for the maximum prison sentence for Lierd; multiple people said the emotional impact of her deception and manipulation impacted them more than the financial losses.
Michael Henderson said he gave her $110,000 on the promise that they would open a medical spa together, only to later learn she had spent the money paying her debts and did not even have a medical license.
"Every piece of her story was designed to manipulate me into believing she was someone trustworthy and capable," he said.
Henderson said his involvement with Lierd was "nothing short of a nightmare."
"If we fail to hold con artists like Candace Lierd accountable ... we send a message that this behavior will continue unchecked," he said.
Argyle called Lierd a "brilliant manipulator" who would use events in a shared calendar to deceive her. "There was just enough truth to keep me believing," she said.
She said it is terrifying that Lierd was able to get government officials to collaborate with her by using lies.
Argyle said Lierd gave medical advice to her son, under a pretense that she was qualified, and took her daughter, then a volunteer with Exitus, into dangerous situations, promising that her car was bulletproof when it wasn't.
Looking back, Argyle said Lierd stole stories from those they helped to gain influence and money, lied about a medical license, exploited volunteers, placed employees and volunteers in situations they were not qualified for, made empty promises to people in vulnerable positions and lied about her hospital visits and a terminal cancer diagnosis.
"She took disabled, orphaned children away from the home they knew by using a fake medical license, transported them over international borders, then used their story to get funds. Is this not human trafficking?" she said.
Argyle said it is hard to know what was true, and she still worries her inadequacies in doing what Lierd asked led others to die.
"I am forever haunted by the endless emails from people believing we were helping," she said.
Argyle said she is owed six paychecks, and Lierd used her identity to apply for a company credit card and collectors are still asking her for that money.
Charlene Paul said she trusted Lierd to publish a book for her, but when copies were eventually sold, the money didn't get to her. She said she lost about $11,000 and her ability to trust others. She called the no-contest pleas "cowardly."
Lierd's family was hurt, too
Lierd's ex-husband, Patrick Lierd, said his son was "betrayed by his own mother" when she took $4,000 he had given her for a car but fraudulently obtained the car, didn't pay the loan and his car was repossessed. He also said she withdrew thousands from a shared bank account, some of which his son still needs to pay back.
Patrick Lierd said he ended his marriage after she took out a credit card in the name of his business partner and neighbor, and spent the entire limit. Before that, he said she gradually took money from his 401(k) without telling him, to make it seem like she was adding to the family income, lying about her job.
"I'm lucky I got out when I did, I'm truly sorry for all the victims of her crime," he said.
