COEUR d’ALENE — Trading in the “barn” he says he’s currently living in, CoiNuts owner-operator Kevin E. Mitchell will now serve six, possibly seven, months in Kootenai County jail.

Mitchell, 49, of Hayden Lake, was sentenced Thursday by 1st District Court Judge Fred Gibler on six counts of misdemeanor petit theft. He had been charged with felony theft by false promise, but that changed after a deal was struck following two days of mediation last week.

Along with the mandatory six months, Mitchell faces an additional month of discretionary jail time he might have to serve. A probation officer can ask a judge to have Mitchell serve the time.

Several former customers gave victim-impact statements.

Mike Haenke, of Coeur d’Alene, told Gibler his family paid Mitchell $50,000 for gold and silver coins, which would be an investment for his disabled daughters, both of whom are grown but still live at home.

“That money was going to be for their future,” Haenke said.

Haenke read a couple Bible verses to Mitchell, recalling how Mitchell told him in May 2012 that he is a man of God and recited some lines from the Bible about the value of gold and silver just before the sale.

“Kevin, you have a much larger problem than this court can give you,” Haenke said.

Delia Beck, of Blanchard, told the court her family gave Mitchell $20,000 for gold and silver that wasn’t delivered.

Beck said Mitchell disquises himself as a sheep, but, she added, “You really are a wolf who tore us all apart.”

Along with jail time, Mitchell was given four years of supervised probation.

He entered an Alford plea to the charges, and though he doesn’t specifically admit guilt he admits there is likely enough evidence that he would be convicted a trial. He was to be tried this spring.

The charges stem from transactions at his now-closed coin shop at 296 W. Sunset Ave. in Coeur d’Alene. Some customers paid for gold and silver coins Mitchell never delivered on, and others sold coins to Mitchell only to find he had paid with bad checks.

Mitchell told Gibler he did millions of dollars in business each year, and only a few customers either didn’t get money or coins owed to them. He said most of them didn’t get what was owed because his business was shut down by authorities.

He said his reputation “was shot” after the closure and the media publicity that followed, and that has hurt his ability to pay customers back.

His Hayden Lake home was taken in a foreclosure, and many of his other assets were seized by authorities and sold off.

He has currently been working to build a business that grows and sells organic basil. He uses the production method of aquaponics.

His stepdaughter, Sarah Mitchell, also has a change-of-plea hearing Thursday afternoon.