Former MP sentenced to probation for drug offenses | Police fire

Michael Filsinger, a former deputy with the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, was sentenced Monday to seven years in prison for drug-related offenses. His sentence was suspended and he received five years' probation.

Jefferson County District Court Division 1 Judge Joe Rathert announced Filsinger's sentence after hearing testimony from Assistant District Attorney Courtney Goodwin and defense attorney William Margulis.

On March 27, Filsinger, 37, of Arnold, pleaded guilty to three counts of theft of a controlled substance (Class D) and one count of misuse of information by a public official (Class A).

Filsinger faced a maximum sentence of up to seven years in prison for both Class D felonies and up to one year in prison for the Class A offense.

At sentencing, Rathert imposed a five-year suspended sentence on Filsinger, with the condition that Filsinger must report to a treatment facility within one week of sentencing or be held in custody until he is admitted to a treatment facility. At the end of the week, Filsinger was to report to the judge and inform him of the treatment facility he was admitted to.

When Margulis pointed out that Labor Day was a week away, Rathert pushed the deadline back to the following day, September 3.

Rathert also ordered Filsinger to perform 500 hours of community service as part of his probation.

The judge said if Filsinger fails to complete any part of his probation, including a mandatory drug test, he will be sent immediately to prison to serve the three seven-year sentences he has for felonies concurrently. He will also have to serve the one-year sentence for a misdemeanor concurrently, he said.

“If you violate the terms of your probation, I will send you away,” Rathert said.

Rathert said Filsinger must deal with his admitted drug addiction.

“You have a problem we need to solve,” he told Filsinger.

Filsinger had been with the Sheriff's Office since 2008 and was assigned to the Special Operations Division. An internal investigation in September 2021 led to his termination and charges against him in connection with stealing medications from both crime victims and suspects in criminal investigations while on duty.

In addition to his work on drug investigations, Filsinger was a member of the sheriff's office's SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics) team.

Goodwin, who gave a PowerPoint presentation and spoke for about an hour before Rathert's sentencing, asked the judge to impose a 15-year prison sentence, saying her crimes were particularly disturbing because he used his position in the police force to steal the drugs from vulnerable victims.

Although she acknowledged that Filsinger is a first-time offender, she described his situation as “unique” because he worked in the police force. She called him a “hypocrite” for arresting people for drug theft while committing the same illegal acts himself.

“If the legal system doesn’t work for everyone, it doesn’t work for anyone,” she told the judge.

She said Filsinger had made the work of all law enforcement agencies more difficult through his actions, which damaged the reputation of the profession.

“Everyone in this room is affected by Michael Filsinger’s actions,” she said.

She said Filsinger's 15 known victims “are considered special victims,” ​​noting that the average age of the victims was 62 and at least some of them suffered from medical conditions that may have clouded their judgment.

Goodwin said Filsinger stole pills such as oxycodone while pretending to conduct an official investigation. She said Filsinger, in at least one case, took pills from a bottle belonging to one of the victims and replaced the prescription pills with aspirin or Tylenol.

“He stole pills,” she said.

Goodwin also questioned Filsinger's character, saying he was not the solid family man he claimed to be. She also questioned his claim to own up to his bad actions.

“He has shown some remorse, but it is hollow,” she said.

She emphasized that Filsinger had already admitted his crimes in court.

“He pleaded guilty to these things under oath,” she said.

Margulis spoke for about ten minutes on Filsinger's behalf. He emphasized that Filsinger had pleaded guilty to “non-violent drug offenses” and was a first-time offender.

“I think he clearly accepted responsibility,” Margulis said of Filsinger's guilty plea.

He described his client as “married with two young children.” He said the former deputy had consistently found employment after being fired from the sheriff's office. He said Filsinger contributed financially to his family during the two and a half years he was under house arrest. During that time, he was allowed to leave the house to work, he said.

Margulis pointed to Filsinger's drug addiction and urged the judge to give his client a chance at parole.