SALEM – A Saugus felon who got caught forging and uttering stolen checks at a Peabody bank last winter was sentenced to serve three to five years in state prison, followed by probation. He also must pay restitution.John P. Truglia, 33, of 34 Susan Drive, Saugus, changed his plea Thursday in Salem Superior Court from innocent to guilty to six indictments. He pleaded guilty to two counts of larceny over $250, two counts of uttering a forged document and two counts of being a notorious thief before Judge Timothy Q. Feeley.”I’m accepting responsibility,” Truglia told the judge before his sentence was imposed. “I’ve been struggling with drug addiction for a long time.”Truglia first passed a forged check at TD Bank at 31 Cross St. in Peabody for $471.70. The owner of the check, a Seabrook, N.H. resident, called the bank when he realized he had checks missing after receiving his bank statement.Truglia was seen on the bank surveillance camera cashing the check and had forged the signature.Then on Jan. 22 Truglia returned to the same bank and again passed another forged check for $460. That check had been stolen from a Reading businessman.Again Truglia was seen on the bank camera passing the check, which also had a forged signature on it.TD Bank reimbursed both men for the monies they lost, according to Assistant District Attorney Karen Hopwood.Hopwood asked for a lengthier punishment, proposing five years in state prison with a lengthy probation term. She explained that Truglia has an 11-page record, which is “absolutely littered” with similar type cases all over the commonwealth, she said.”He has been given chance after chance,” Hopwood stressed, as she emphasized that her recommendation was “appropriate.”Defense lawyer Christopher Norris asked the judge to impose the sentence proposed during their lobby, while reminding the judge that although Truglia has a past record, there is “no violence” on the record.Upon his release from prison, Truglia will be on probation for another two years at which time he will be evaluated for substance abuse and treatment as deemed necessary and will be subject to random drug screenings. He also must pay $931.70 in restitution to the bank.The sentence imposed is forthwith, meaning it eliminates the current prison term Truglia is serving on a probation violation out of Suffolk County.The judge credited Truglia the 10 days he has spent in jail awaiting trial on the case.