AUBURN — A Lewiston man pleaded guilty Wednesday to stealing and forging checks from a business where he had worked.

Justin Jury, 35, of 184 Main St., pleaded guilty in Androscoggin County Superior Court to six felonies, each punishable by up to five years in prison.

Justice MaryGay Kennedy sentenced Jury to three years on each count, but suspended all of that sentence. Jury was ordered on probation for two years.

During that time, he’ll be barred from having alcohol and illegal drugs for which he could be searched and tested at random. He also must complete counseling and treatment for substance abuse.

Jury was ordered to repay the cleaning company, Start to Finish, $1,600, the judge said. Jury is prohibited from being at the Lewiston company.

He was indicted in May on three counts of forgery and three counts of theft by deception. Prior theft convictions elevated those charges to felonies.

Lewiston police said the owner of the company reported in February that two former employees were suspected of being involved in a burglary.

The owner had learned from one of the two suspects that the other had stolen company business checks from the office. The owner and manager told police that Jury had started working in the office area during his brief tenure at the company because he was “very competent with computers and technical equipment.”

That office area was where the company’s signature-stamped business checks were stored.

The office manager searched the company’s accounting records and discovered three unauthorized electronic checks, one addressed to Home Depot and two addressed to Jury and cashed at Republic Cash in January, Assistant District Attorney Kate Bozeman told the judge on Wednesday.

The two cashed checks totaled $1,175. The other check was for $736.39.

Surveillance video showed a man identified as Jury conducting all three transactions, Bozeman said.

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