(Radio Iowa) – Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley has returned to the Iowa campaign trail as recent polling shows her support among likely Iowa Caucus-goers growing. The most recent Des Moines Register “Iowa Poll” shows Haley and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis tied for second place, 27 points behind former President Donald Trump. Haley. who served as Trump’s United Nations ambassador, is asking Iowa Caucus goers to consider Trump’s flaws.

Republican competitor Vivek Ramaswamy called Haley “Dick Cheney in heels” during last week’s televised debate. During an event in Waverly last (Thursday) night, a man in the crowd asked Haley how high her heels were. “I analyze the threats and the stronger the threat, the higher the heel,” she replied, drawing laughter and applause.

Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley on the Iowa campaign trail. (RI file photo)

Earlier this week, 72 current and former elected officials as well as business leaders endorsed Haley. State Representative Brian Lohse (LOH-see) of Bondurant, who describes himself as a Reagan Republican, says the group hopes to send a message that the Iowa Caucuses can be won by someone other than Trump.

Earlier this month, Lohse hosted a private meeting in his home that prompted broader discussions and ultimately led Republicans like Casey’s founder Don Lamberti and Mike Richards, whose company owns three Iowa casinos, to publicly endorse Haley. Lohse says Haley’s background and temperament are among her most effective traits.

Haley, DeSantis and Ramaswamy are scheduled to appear together later today (Friday) in Des Moines. The Family Leader, a Christian conservative group, is hosting a conversation among the candidates. Trump is scheduled to speak at a rally in Fort Dodge tomorrow (Saturday).

(Radio Iowa) – Iowans who are heading to the grocery store this weekend to stock up for next week’s big feast will be pleased to hear they may actually be paying less to feed the family for Thanksgiving. Christopher Pudenz (POO-dens), an economist for the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation, says they figured the average cost to prepare a traditional turkey dinner with all of the fixings for a family of ten at the table.

The survey found the biggest price fluctuations were in 12-ounce bags of cranberries and half pints of whipping cream, which dropped 18-percent and 23-percent respectively, while a 12-pack of dinner rolls and pumpkin pie filling saw modest price increases of between three and four-percent.

Roasting Turkey in the Oven for Holiday Dinner (Iowa Farm Bureau photo)

Other items on the menu for the survey include: frozen pie crusts, whole milk, frozen peas, sweet potatoes and stuffing. Overall food prices have risen about 25-percent since the beginning of 2020, according to Pudenz, who says inflation has continued to take a significant toll. Plus, he says, bird flu was a key factor in the price shifts.

While there have been more outbreaks this fall, he says they haven’t been nearly as severe. Iowa is the nation’s seventh largest turkey producer with an estimated 12-million birds raised here each year.

DES MOINES, Iowa – A man from Sigourney was sentenced today (Friday) to 33 months (over 2.5-years) in prison, for committing fraud by selling grain as organic. The grain was grown in violation of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Organic Program (NOP). NOP is a federal regulatory program governing organic agricultural products.

In April 2023, 48-year-old Mark Lynn Haines pleaded guilty to mail fraud and conspiracy to defraud the United States. According to public court documents, key among Haines’ NOP violations were the use of treated seed, which is prohibited by NOP. Haines concealed his NOP violations from the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS), the organic certifier. The grain was then sold by Haines to a number of unwitting purchasers at a total sale price of over $6.5 million.

Haines also conspired to impede and obstruct the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in the assessment and collection of income taxes. Between April 2017 and April 2019, Haines obtained false invoices, backdated checks, and exchanged checks to give the appearance of an expense that was not in fact incurred. In total, Haines concealed over $1.3 million in income. Restitution was ordered to the IRS in the amount of $408,107 and $25,233.44 to a purchaser of the purported organic crops.

Following his prison term, Haines must serve a two-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. USDA OIG Special Agent-in-Charge Shantel R. Robinson said “Consumers trust when they see the USDA Organic Seal, they are purchasing organically produced agricultural products. Haines’ fraudulent activity compromised the integrity of the program and harmed USDA’s ability to protect American agriculture.  This investigation and prosecution should serve as warning to all farmers participating in the USDA National Organic Program that organic agriculture fraud will be vigorously investigated by the USDA-OIG, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and its stakeholders.”

After the sentencing, FBI Omaha Special Agent in Charge Eugene Kowel said, “Mark Haines’ deception and greed not only defrauded the American government, it compromised the trust and confidence of consumers who purchase organically grown products.[Friday’s] sentence should serve as a warning to others who ignore regulations and use deceptive practices to make a profit.”

IRS Criminal Investigation (CI) Special Agent in Charge Thomas F. Murdock, said “Mr. Haines took steps to falsify documents and obstruct the IRS’ efforts to assess and collect his correct tax obligation. This investigation shows our commitment to upholding the integrity of the nation’s tax system and holding those who try to cheat the system accountable.”

United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The United States Department of Agriculture – Office of Inspector General, the Internal Revenue Service, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case. The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS) revoked Haines’ organic certificate in 2018 due to several NOP violations and assisted the federal agents in the investigation and the prosecution of the case.

If you witness or have knowledge of any violations of laws and regulations related to USDA programs, contact the OIG Hotline by telephone at (800) 424-9121 or TDD (202) 690-1202, or visit https://usdaoig.oversight.gov/hotline.

(Sidney, Iowa) – The Holiday “Step Wave” will across Iowa is underway through November 28th. The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office says a STEP grant will help buy a camera system for one of their patrol vehicles. The camera system that is in the current vehicles are at getting to the end of their support. Watch Guard has discontinued the body cameras that the S/O uses, and they will discontinue the car cameras in 2024. Support for the system Fremont County uses will eventually stop. The cost is about five-thousand dollars for the car system and installation per vehicle.

During the Wave the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office will be doing several projects with the Iowa State Patrol in the county, including a seatbelt enforcement.  Chief Deputy Sheriff Tim Bothwell says “Many times, when we are doing seatbelt enforcement, we hear that wearing one should be “my choice”.

“Not wearing one,” he says, “can have many immediate side effects, death, or disability. Trauma to the family and friends to the loss of a loved one. Along with financial loss and the stability of the household.”

November 17, 2023 (DES MOINES, IA) – The Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) Board, today (Friday), approved an award for a manufacturer in Independence, which will assist in the creation of 229 jobs and result in nearly $15 million in new capital investment for the state. The board also approved innovation funding in support of two startups located in Cedar Rapids and Des Moines. In addition, IEDA approved assistance from Iowa’s State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) Innovation Fund for a startup in Des Moines.

The newly formed Independence Foods LLC will manufacture a wide range of food products. The company plans to purchase an existing pet food facility in Independence and make upgrades to accommodate production capabilities and requirements. The project represents a capital investment of $14.8 million and is expected to create 229 jobs incented at a qualifying wage of $25.90 per hour. The board awarded $1.5 million in direct financial assistance through the High Quality Jobs (HQJ) program.

Cedar Rapids’ FES Solutions, LLC developed a market-ready fire extinguisher stand for construction companies. Drawing on years of expertise in the construction industry, the start-up company identified the need for a consistent product that was typically made with leftover project materials. The prototype has the potential to offer a more durable and lighter weight solution. The company was awarded a $50,000 Proof of Commercial Relevance (POCR) loan for IP development and evaluation, market analysis, proof of concept work, and market planning and entry activities.

Another start-up company, Ten5, Inc., based in Des Moines, created a communications platform for the trucking industry to improve driver safety and fleet productivity and lower driver and dispatcher turnover rates. The platform uses a driver voice application that allows the driver to communicate hands-free using voice input only. It also allows dispatchers and managers to prioritize driver messaging, which reduces the number of driving delays and distractions. The company was awarded a $50,000 POCR loan for product refinement, key personnel, and market planning and entry activities.

Award recommendations for those funds are made by the Technology Commercialization Committee to the IEDA Board for approval.

Hummingbirds, based in Des Moines, is an SaaS-enabled marketplace that helps brands find and work with local people to drive awareness and sales. Customers can create a campaign inside the software and their content creators (called “hummingbirds”) express interest in the campaign. Customers select interested hummingbirds and provide a complimentary perk to experience their brand and share about it on social media. The company was awarded a $250,000 an SSBCI Innovation Acceleration Launch Fund loan, for key personnel.

The SSBCI program’s Innovation Fund increases assistance available through Iowa’s innovation continuum to support entrepreneurs through concept, launch and expansion. Award recommendations for these funds are made by the SSBCI Review Committee to the IEDA director for approval. The committee met on November 14, 2023, to review eligible applications.

(Adair/Guthrie Center, Iowa) – The Adair-Casey and Guthrie Center Community School District Boards of Education held separate, regular monthly meetings this past week. The Adair-Casey Board met Monday evening, in Adair. Shared Superintendent Josh Rasmussen told KJAN News their discussion items included an Early Retirement Police, Enrollment numbers, and the Little Smiles Daycare center, in Adair.

With regard to Early Retirement, Rasmussen said the A-C Board looked at some early numbers, and when it was offered last. The last discussion item was Enrollment.

In their consent agenda, the Board on approving Special Education Contracts, and other matters.

Superintendent Josh Rasmussen said the Guthrie Center School Board held their Organizational meeting Wednesday evening, in Guthrie Center.

The Guthrie Center Board, he said, also discussed the Early Retirement Policy, which they will also be on their agenda next month.

He said they’re really looking forward to the Thanksgiving Break (Nov. 22 through the 27^th).

(Radio Iowa) – The Board of Regents has voted to adopt ten recommendations proposed by the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion study group. One of the recommendations is that the three state universities cut D-E-I programs that aren’t necessary for research contracts or accreditation. Study group member David Barker says another asks the three universities to explore strategies for advancing diversity of intellectual perspectives among job applicants. “Simply asking the universities to think about their hiring practices in a way that might bring in an area of diversity that may have been neglected in the past and that’s diversity of philosophical perspective,” Barker says. “And, you know, we’ll see what universities do with that and what ideas they come up with.” Regent Abby Crow says that seems to contradict cutting other D-E-I initiatives.

“I don’t think we can pick and choose which aspects of diversity that we want to encourage more at the universities. I think that if want these hiring practices to be broadly universal equal, I don’t understand how uplifting one and reducing others is fair,” Crow says. Crow offered and amendment that would change the language to simply issue a reminder to universities on hiring practices. Regent Barker did not favor the amendment.

“Some of the feedback that we got from the universities when we asked about increasing philosophical diversity was that they didn’t know how to do that,” he says. “And so that’s kind of why this is worded the way it is that we’d like them to explore possibilities for how to do that. Now, their answer might be that they can’t. But we’d like them to explore possible methods for doing that.” Crow’s amendment to change the language failed. The D-E-I study was part of a requirement by the Iowa Legislature. Barker isn’t sure if the recommendations will be the end of the issue.

“I have no idea whether the legislature will, you know add to this, will take additional action on D-E-I,” Barker says. “We, we looked at this ourselves and decided what recommendations we wanted and the legislature might decide to move to not deal with the issue anymore or they might decide to do more.”

The recommendations were approved at the Board of Regents’ meeting Thursday. The schools are expected to submit their plans for implementing these changes in the spring.

(Omaha, NE) – Today’s scammers want gift cards as payment, leaving those unaware of this tactic vulnerable to schemes designed to commit fraud. Better Business Bureau (BBB) research shows fraud reports to BBB Scam Tracker involving gift cards as a form of payment spiked in the first three quarters of 2023, up 50% from the same period the year prior. Scammers have doubled down on gift cards as a method to steal money from consumers – especially online shoppers – leading retailers to implement new fraud prevention solutions in response.

A new BBB study update, “Growth of gift card scams causes retailers to innovate solutions,” examines patterns of reports, dives deep into court documents, reviews financial losses, and highlights interviews with affected consumers. The goal is to educate everyone on the tactics scammers use with gift cards.

Key findings:

• Technology, like algorithms meant to detect fraudulent behavior, helps retailers stop scammers in their tracks and sometimes return money to customers.
• Fraudsters leverage international networks to convince consumers to hand over gift cards.
• Advance fee loans, government impersonation, phishing and lottery/sweepstakes top the list of scam types used most often to obtain gift cards.
• Scammers frequently seek gift cards from big-box, technology and online stores.

Key statistics reported to BBB and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) since 2020 about gift card payment scams:

• 3,918 BBB Scam Tracker reports
• 177,074 reports to the Federal Trade Commission’s Consumer Sentinel Network with $690 million in losses
• In 2021, BBB’s International Investigations Initiative examined gift card payment scams in an in-depth study, “Gift card payment scams: BBB reveals why scammers love gift cards.” Since then, retailers have identified several methods to protect consumers, but warn that it is impossible to stop all scams as fraudsters continue to find ways around safeguards.

Richard in Tempe, Arizona, reported to Scam Tracker he received a call from someone claiming to be from Amazon. There was a suspicious charge on his account, they said, and it looked like possible identity theft. The person claiming to be from Amazon offered to connect him with someone from the government. He was asked to withdraw $10,000 and convert it to gift cards. He sent several hundred dollars before realizing everyone involved were scammers.

A Nebraska couple, eager to secure a rental car for their Florida vacation, mistakenly dialed what they believed to be Enterprise after a Google search. Falling for an apparent deal with American Express that allowed them to use pre-paid cards for rental savings, the couple sent $400 to scammers posing as Enterprise agents. When the scammers claimed the cards were invalid and demanded an extra $400, the couple grew suspicious. Realizing the deception, Sue and Darwin promptly contacted the legitimate Enterprise hotline, where a representative confirmed they had been scammed.

A Nebraska woman’s quest for a furry companion turned into a heartbreaking ordeal as she encountered not one, but two scams while searching for a puppy. In both instances, the scammers requested payments in gift cards, a red flag that the woman unfortunately failed to recognize. On the second occasion, Jill visited the specified, local address. To her dismay, upon arriving at the location, a woman informed her that she had fallen victim to a scam.

BBB tips to spot a gift card scam 

• Be wary of anyone asking for payment with a gift card, including “government” agencies. No legitimate government organization will ask you to pay with a gift card.
• If you suspect a scam, contact the gift card seller, the actual business or government organization supposedly asking for money, and BBB to ask if you are dealing with a scammer. To find contact information, go directly to the organization’s website rather than search for their customer service number, which can be spoofed by scammers.
• Keep all information related to your purchase if you are scammed, because some retailers may require that information for refunds.
• If you suspect fraud, act immediately, contact the gift card seller or the number on the back of the card to report it.

Follow advice and report suspected scams to BBB Scam Tracker and the Federal Trade Commission.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports a man from Bellevue, Nebraska, was arrested Thursday morning at the Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office. 52-year-old Brent Edward Johnson was taken into custody on a Mills County warrant for Failure to Appear (FTA) on a Criminal Mischief in the 3rd Degree, charge. Johnson’s bond was set at $2,000.

Des Moines, IA – State Auditor Rob Sand today (Friday) urged organizations and individuals to take steps to increase measures to safeguard their systems against cyber-attacks. In a news release, Sand said “Individuals, businesses, schools, and government entities are all susceptible to cybercrimes. It’s important for everyone to increase cybersecurity measures because a deficiency in one system can give criminals access to mounds of data that can result in cybercrimes like identity theft.”

The most common cybercrimes include Business Email Compromise (BEC), identity theft, ransomware, and spoofing and phishing scams. On average, the FBI received 2,300 cybercrime complaints per day in 2021, resulting in $6.9 billion in losses to victims. Iowa ranks 21st in the country in the number of cybercrime victims per state, losing a total of $33.8 million dollars to cybercrimes. According to Sand, “BEC attacks were reported to the Auditor’s Office by state and local governments, as well as schools.”  He said he was the target of a BEC scheme last year, but, “Thanks to some vigilant state workers, the scam was squashed.”

Iowa Auditor of State Rob Sand

BEC and Email Account Compromise (EAC) are sophisticated scams that are carried out when legitimate email accounts are compromised. The compromised account is then used to send fraudulent emails soliciting funds that are directed to illicit accounts. Combined losses in 2021 totaled $2.4 billion.

Measures to protect organizations from cybercrime include:

• Updated multi-factor authentication
• Updated software
• Control measures that include detailed IT policies and procedures
• Anti-malware
• Enhanced Firewalls
• Think before you “click”

The Auditor’s Office is partnering with the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners for International Fraud Awareness Week in an effort to draw attention to the latest forms of fraud and measures to prevent fraud.  To report the misuse of public funds or resources, email info@aos.iowa.gov or call 515-281-5834. Additional information on fraud prevention can be found on the Auditor of State website, Facebook, and X, formerly known as Twitter.