A Flathead Valley man who pleaded guilty to stealing $172,000 in platinum from a company that manufactures computer equipment has been given a six-year deferred sentence.
Twenty-five-year-old John Bovee must pay $68,400 in restitution to his former employer on the felony theft conviction.
Bovee was suspected of stealing 1,022 platinum contact pins and 272 platinum contact bars from Applied Materials between April 29, 2011 and June 10, 2011.
Bovee was caught after the company’s security team determined Bovee had ordered a platinum recycling kit.