Des Moines, IA – The U-S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa reports that on September 29, 2023, Thein Maung, 47, of Ottumwa, was sentenced to twelve years in prison after pleading guilty to forty-nine fraud- and tax-related charges. Phyo Mi, 21, of Ottumwa, was sentenced to nine years in prison after a jury convicted her of sixteen fraud-related charges. In all, Maung and Mi’s fraud resulted in nearly $4 million in losses to the Internal Revenue Service, Iowa Workforce Development, and numerous Iowa citizens.

According to public court documents and evidence presented at trial, for several years, Maung and Mi ran a fraudulent tax-preparation business out of their family’s Ottumwa home. In exchange for a cash fee, Maung and Mi would prepare and file their customers’ tax returns. Maung and Mi primarily catered to immigrants and refugees who worked at meat-packing facilities in Iowa and who had little or no ability to read, write, or speak English.

Without their customers’ knowledge or approval, Maung and Mi included fraudulent items on their customers’ federal tax returns, like false claims for residential energy credits, business-expense deductions, or moving-expense deductions for members of the United States Armed Forces. The effect of Maung and Mi including fraudulent items on the tax documents was to increase the refunds their clients received and increase Maung and Mi’s customer base. In all, from 2018 to 2022, Maung and Mi caused over 1600 tax returns to be filed from their residence. Those returns claimed over $3.5 million in fraudulent residential energy credits.

It is estimated that from 2018 to 2022, Maung and Mi received over $200,000 in cash fees from their customers. In addition, on their customers’ returns, Maung and Mi sometimes directed that portions of the fraudulent refunds be sent to financial institution accounts accessible to Maung and Mi. As a result, Maung and Mi obtained nearly $50,000 in fraudulent tax refunds. Maung and Mi also offered to help customers with applying for unemployment benefits from Iowa Workforce Development. Without their customers’ knowledge or approval, Maung and Mi submitted materials to Iowa Workforce Development directing that their customers’ benefits payments be sent to financial institution accounts that Maung and Mi had access to. Maung and Mi obtained nearly $70,000 in fraudulent unemployment insurance benefits payments be sent from Iowa Workforce Development to their accounts, instead of to eligible claimants.

At sentencing, Chief United States District Court Judge Stephanie M. Rose described Maung and Mi’s fraud as being elaborate and extensive, involving layers of subterfuge, and victimizing hundreds of vulnerable immigrants and refugees with little education and limited English fluency. Following their prison terms, Maung and Mi will be on supervised release for three years. There is no parole in the federal system.

“This sentence should send a strong message to any return preparers who are looking to cheat innocent taxpayers and the U.S. government that a prison cell awaits them,” said Special Agent in Charge Thomas F. Murdock, IRS Criminal Investigation (CI), St. Louis Field Office. “Maung and Mi preyed on people who were vulnerable. CI special agents do not take this kind of fraud lightly. Our law enforcement partners worked diligently to help us bring these two to justice.”

United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The investigation was conducted by Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation and the Ottumwa Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kyle Essley and Laura Roan prosecuted the case.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – Officials with the Glenwood Police Department report two recent arrests. On Sunday (Oct. 1), 56-year-old Joseph Sawyer, of Glenwood, was arrested for Assault on a Peace Officer, Interference with Official Acts, False Report (911 call), and Public Intoxication. Sawyer posted a $2,900 surety bond, and was released from custody. And, on Sept. 29th, 34-year-old Ashley Flint, of Glenwood, was arrested on a Mills County warrant. She posted a $300 cash-0nly bond before being released.

(Radio Iowa) – All of Iowa’s U-S Representatives and both U-S Senators voted for the funding deal to keep the federal government running. The government would have shut down at midnight Saturday without the deal. The funding bill keeps the government funded at current levels for roughly 45 days.

(Guthrie Center, Iowa) – Guthrie County Deputy Sheriff/Jail Administrator Jesse Swensen, today (Monday), released data on inmates housed at the Guthrie County Jail during the month of September. Swensen says they “processed 88 inmates through the facility with an average population of 29.”Billing invoices to other entities, including the Department of Corrections, and three counties (Greene, Polk and Webster) for holding of their inmates amounted to $45,660. Polk County had the greatest number of inmates (29) held in the Guthrie County Jail last month, at a cost of $23,460.

Guthrie County Jail

(Bedford, Iowa) – The Taylor County Sheriff’s Office is asking for your help in locating and apprehending 30-year-old Ely Laramie Will. He’s wanted on multiple warrants throughout the state of Iowa for theft and violations of his probation. Will is a white male, 5-feet 10 inches tall, and weighs about 230-pounds. He was last known to be in the Lenox, Clearfield and Creston areas.

Do not attempt to apprehend or detain Will. Call the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office at 712-523-2153, your local law enforcement agency, or 9-1-1 if you see him.

*All persons charged with a crime are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

(Greenfield, Iowa) – A man arrested Sept.25th near Casey in Adair County, has a preliminary hearing set to take place this week. The hearing for 50-year-old Michael Todd Dolezal, of Mason City, will occur 10:30-a.m. Thursday, in Adair County District Court. Dolezal faces a Class B Felony charge of Attempted Murder, and a Class D Felony charge of Possession of a Controlled Substance/3rd of subsequent offense, in connection with a stabbing incident. He remains held in the Adair County Jail on a $300,000 cash-only bond.

As we previously reported, the Adair County Sheriff’s Office received a cellular 9-1-1 call at 11:58-p.m. Sunday, Sept. 24th. The line was open but initially there was no response. A short time later, the dispatcher could hear a female screaming “stop” repeatedly. 911 mapping showed that the call was coming from a location on Interstate 80. A review of the 911 call later revealed a man saying “I’m going to kill you.” Shortly after midnight, a passerby placed a second cellular 911 call. The male caller described some sort of altercation between a male and a female, in or very near the inside of lane of travel. The caller also noted a vehicle in the ditch west of the male and female. The caller placed the incident at approximately the 84mm on I-80, which is east of the Casey interchange.

An Adair County deputy sheriff and an Adair police officer arrived at the 84mm at 12:06 a.m., Sept 25th and located a vehicle in the ditch, but did not initially locate any persons. Later, yelling could be heard east of their location. A man was heard yelling “Get up.”

Michael T. Dolezal booking photo

Law enforcement then located a man – Dolezal – on his knees, holding a woman in his arms, with what appeared to be blood on the ground near the two. Dolezal was handcuffed, and life-saving treatment was immediately administered to the adult female, who was identified as Ashlee Clarke. The woman said Dolezal was her father. She told a paramedic Dolezal stabbed her, and had hit her on the head.

Clarke was stabbed 14 times. She had wounds on her wrists, forearm, upper arm, chest, back and neck. The stab wound to her upper chest penetrated deep enough to allow air into her chest cavity, causing a tension pneumothorax – a severe condition that results when air is trapped in the chest cavity, compromising cardiopulmonary function. Clarke was transported by air ambulance to a Des Moines area hospital.