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Longtime forger finally pays piper Faces 34 months in prison, 3 more trials By CHRIS BRISTOL Chester Westfall has long been described as one of the busiest criminals in Medford. And Grants Pass. And Roseburg. Accused of masterminding more computer-assisted mayhem in Southern Oregon than just about anybody in recent memory, Westfall's four-year run of petty frauds and forgeries finally came to a halt Monday in a Jackson County courtroom. Westfall, 44, whose background includes brief stints as a preacher and basketball coach in Rogue River, stood silent as Judge Dan Harris sentenced him to 34 months in prison on convictions for racketeering, theft and forgery. Prosecutor Karen Loomis described Westfall's downfall, which followed a two-day jury trial last week, as long overdue. "Everybody is just so thrilled that we finally got a good conviction on Chester Westfall," she said. Loomis said Westfall recruits small-time hustlers and drug addicts to insulate himself from the dirty work. He sends them out to steal mail and cash checks he makes on his home computer, authorities say. In Medford, he faces another trial on five separate cases involving a total of 27 charges, including forgery, theft, burglary, credit-card fraud, unlawful use of a computer and possession of a controlled substance. In Grants Pass, he faces trial on 49 counts of forgery, theft, felon in possession of a firearm, drug trafficking and burglary. In Roseburg, he faces trial on 15 counts of theft and forgery. A drug charge there involves methamphetamine, as do his other drug charges. Loomis said Westfall's local record dates to 1978. He was convicted on felony theft and drug charges in Arkansas in 1982. "It's always the same thing with him," she said, "forgeries, theft and drugs." Westfall resurfaced in Oregon in the early 1990s, launching a brief ministry in Rogue River called Abounding Grace Foursquare Church. He coached the Rogue River High School boys basketball team for one season and started a construction company. Then, as bills began to pile up, the church collapsed. So did the construction deals. Then he started getting arrested. According to court records, Westfall has been convicted five times since 1996 on a variety of charges that always revolve around drugs and forgeries. Many of his arrests involved one or more co-defendants _ including his wife, Nancy _ accused of stealing mail and cashing checks supplied from Westfall for a cut of the profits. The racketeering case stemmed from an incident last year at a Medford business called Check Cash Northwest. Loomis said one of Westfall's co-horts tried to cash a phony Weyerhaeuser check that Westfall made on his home computer. Westfall was there, and when a clerk questioned the check, both men fled. "The thing is, Westfall left behind all his ID," Loomis said. "It wasn't his brightest all-time move." Under Oregon law, racketeering involves a documented pattern of related criminal activity. Jackson County prosecutors are using the law to curb computer and white-collar crimes. Loomis said Westfall has been so active in recent years that she had to tell a Medford police detective to stop investigating cases so she could prepare the ones she had for trial. "It's just overwhelming," she said. "I don't think we would ever stop finding how many victims this guy has gone through." Today's Edition : News | Sports | Business | Weather | Tempo | Classifieds Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA