Idaho Coin Shop Owner Owes Thousands

COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho (AP) — A defunct northern Idaho coin shop was hit with another big judgment after its owners were sued for deceptive business practices. The Coeur d'Alene Press reports 1st District Judge Lansing Haynes ordered former Coeur d'Alene coin shop CoiNuts to pay $743,000, money the Idaho attorney general alleges was lost by 18 customers.

In May, Kootenai County Sheriff's deputies raided the property of the shop's owner, 47-year-old Kevin Mitchell, after he didn't pay a previous $420,000 judgment to a customer. The attorney general sued Mitchell and his stepdaughter, Sarah M. Mitchell, saying they took money for coins they never delivered. In addition to this week's judgment against CoiNuts, Mitchell and his stepdaughter face a separate trial on grounds they violated Idaho consumer protection laws. Mitchell declined comment.