COEUR d'ALENE - A one-time Coeur d'Alene area builder arrested in 2008 for felony grand theft by deception after taking money for contracting jobs and skipping the work was ordered to pay his victims back in full on Wednesday.

Myck Tyrone Beard, 43, must pay back $120,000 to five victims within 14 years or face the possibility of prison, First District Judge Benjamin Simpson ruled.

"Six hundred and thirty dollars a month to stay out of prison is a pretty good deal," Simpson said.

Beard was given two years of supervised probation and 12 years of unsupervised probation as part of the sentence.

Back in March, Beard - who now lives in Fallon, Nev. - entered an Alford plea to a single count of grand theft by deception, which had to be accepted by Simpson.

By entering an Alford plea Beard didn't admit guilt, but acknowledged there was enough evidence that he might be convicted if the case proceeded through trial.

Terms of the agreement consolidated the original three counts to one, and ordered Beard to pay at least $100 each month toward the debt.

But Simpson said those payment requirements weren't good enough, and gave Beard 14 years to clear the debt - which breaks down to $630 a month.

The money will go to Elizabeth Wells, Daniel Davis, James Burkett, Donald Watson and Page Lewis. They paid Beard up front for building work that was never done.

You're "the Bernie Madoff of Kootenai County," Lewis told Beard in the courtroom, saying he used the money "to fly his family to Disneyland."

Lewis said she and other homeowners were financially ruined by Beard, who did not pay sub-contractors, and failed to even begin the projects.

Watson is due the most, at $60,000, according to the plea agreement documents.

"I understand the harm my clients suffered," Beard told the judge. "I would never intentionally hurt anybody."

Simpson assured Beard that if he paid all the victims in full early, he would dismiss the case and the underlying probation. If he doesn't meet the deadline, he will be brought back to court.

The maximum sentence for the felony offense is 14 years.

In 2007, Lake City Builders Inc., Beard's business, declared bankruptcy, leaving about $500,000 in outstanding debts to 44 area creditors.

Beard also declared personal bankruptcy in 1997 and in 2003, leaving unpaid debts, including federal and state taxes, and monies he failed to pay in withholding taxes, according to bankruptcy files.

Idaho law does not require a building contractor to secure a performance bond to protect consumers or obtain a license before commencing work.