Fence company owner to repay victims under deferred sentence

The owner of a Macomb Township fence company must repay a total of about $35,000 to eight customers from whom she stole deposits for jobs.

Laura Marie Dietz, 42, owner of Dietz Fence Co., was ordered last week by a Macomb County

Circuit Court judge to make the payments and will serve 11 months probation under a deferred sentence for a conviction that will be erased upon her successful remittance.

But she got a warning from Judge Jennifer Faunce: “Any new cases and you will see some jail time.”

“You will not see that,” Dietz replied.

Dietz’s attorney, Dan Garon, told Faunce to avoid any potential problems, a new system has been set up during probation for customers to directly pay the fence manufacturer, after which Dietz will receive her cut.

Garon said Dietz has amassed more than half of the money that is being held in the trust fund of her prior attorney. Victims will be repaid first over court costs.

“I’ll oversee this over the next 11 months,” Garon said. “As an officer of the court, I’ll make sure it gets done appropriately.”

Dietz pleaded no

contest last December to seven counts of larceny by conversion between $1,000 and $20,000 circuit court in exchange for immediate dismissal of three of 10 cases and dismissal of the remaining cases if she pays restitution in full, according to court records.

She was taking deposits for projects but failing to perform the work. Dietz was initially charged with three cases in January 2023 then additional cases later.

She has agreed to pay amounts ranging from $2,250 to $8,000 to each of the victims.

Faunce also ordered her to not consume alcohol, to which she objected.

“I don’t have an issue,” she said.

Faunce suggested she may have had a “prior addiction,” noting that she was taking suboxone, an opioid-based prescription drug, for over 20 years up to 2019.

Dietz said she had six knee surgeries at age 14 due to hockey injuries when she was preparing to possibly play in the Olympics and was prescribed the drug for pain beginning at age 15.

Faunce maintained the requirement, which includes random testing.

“This is not the time to risk anything,” the judge said, saying she can take prescribed medication.

No victims spoke at or appeared to attend the hearing, which was delayed multiple time. A review hearing was set for Feb. 20, 2025.