What signature stamps are and what Mason used them for
It's not uncommon for judges or their clerks to use signature stamps to authorize court orders. The stamps can save time in emergencies, especially when judges approve orders but aren't there to sign the orders themselves. But state prosecutors allege Kimball Mason used judges' stamps without their knowledge to forge weapon forfeiture orders that he later used to convince Idaho Falls Police Department evidence custodians to hand over guns and other items. Signature stamps are almost never used in such cases, Bonneville County court clerks say, and if they are, there would be original, hand-signed orders to back them up. This lack of a paper trail is what tipped off state prosecutors in their latest investigation into Mason and led them to charge him with six new felonies for forgery. The Idaho attorney general's office has listed several incidents in which it believes Mason misused judges' signature stamps. Here are some examples: May 2004 Mason presented a forfeiture order for a handgun, bullets and a knife. - The order had the stamped signature of Magistrate Judge L. Mark Riddoch. - It did not bear a case number. - Records show Mason returned a year later with another order for the same items. Evidence custodians reminded him he'd already received the weapons. - Neither order was found in the official case file, court records indicate. Court clerks say Judge William Hollerich heard the case May 6, 2005 -- a year after Mason got the guns. June 2002 Mason provided IFPD evidence custodians with an order "signed" by Magistrate Judge Keith M. Walker to get a dagger. - Investigators were unable to find an original or a copy of the order in the case file. - Walker did not preside over the case. - The order indicated that a man arrested after a traffic stop had owned the dagger. It actually belonged to a passenger in the car, against whom Mason had dismissed charges of carrying a concealed weapon two months earlier. August 2002 Mason presented an order "signed" with Walker's stamped signature that authorized the release of "firearms." - The order listed no case number. - No original or copy of the order was found in the official case file.
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