Latest news with #DeVos'
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Madison County Treasurer charged with alleged property tax fraud
MADISON COUNTY, Iowa – Additional criminal charges have been brought against embattled Madison County Treasurer Amanda DeVos, according to the Madison County Sheriff's Office. 'These charges are separate from earlier charges filed in relation to vehicle registrations and stem from an investigation into DeVos' own property taxes that were owed for 2023/2024,' said Sheriff Jason Barnes in a written statement. Court records show DeVos, 37, had been free from jail after posting a $5,000 surety bond when the new charges were handed down. She had initially been arrested on January 31 for alleged felonious misconduct in office, tampering with records, fraudulent practice in the third degree, and third-degree theft. In that case, a criminal complaint states MCSO investigators had been tipped off in late November that DeVos may have used her access as county treasurer to alter government records to make it look like she paid $758 for her vehicle registration plates when she had not. On Thursday, Sheriff Barnes said similar charges were filed in connection to an entirely different criminal scenario allegedly involving her property taxes. Court records on the new charges had not been filed in the state's online record system as of late Thursday night, but the Sheriff said they included additional counts of felonious misconduct in office and tampering with records, as well as fraudulent practice in the second degree and second-degree theft. According to court documents, DeVos is a married mother of two. Property tax records show she and her husband purchased their home in Winterset's Copper Fox Estates in 2018 for $375,000. The taxes owed for that property for July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2024, were $5,830.00, according to a county tax bill that also boasts DeVos' official Treasurer letterhead (below). DeVos-TaxBillDownload Sheriff Barnes told WHO-13 last week that he had nearly wrapped up his report on the investigation surrounding DeVos' alleged misconduct in office and that he had expected more charges to come. Madison County Attorney Stephen Swanson said he recused himself from the case due to a conflict of interest. Therefore, Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird's office took over. Her office did not respond to WHO-13's inquiry regarding it. State Auditor Rob Sand previously acknowledged 'multiple issues in Madison County,' and said in a statement that he had been working with local officials on a response. Due to Chapter 11.42 of the Code of Iowa, his office cannot provide further information surrounding an audit until a formal report is issued. DeVos has not been charged in connection to the apparent mishandling of county funds, which appears to have plagued nearly every municipality and school district in Madison County. WHO-13 confirmed the City of Winterset received more than $250,000 in funds due for other municipalities and discovered that late property tax payments to the Winterset Community School District forced it to withdraw funds from investment opportunities to cover payroll multiple times. Other local governments and organizations that have confirmed to WHO-13 they had an issue with either late payments, over payments, double payments, erroneous deposits and/or communication with the treasurer's office include the following: -The Community of Earlham -The City of Macksburg -The City of Patterson -The City of St. Charles -The City of Truro -Earlham Community Schools -The Interstate 35 Community School District This is a developing story. More information may be added after the criminal complaint for the nost recent charges are filed online. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Arrested Madison County Treasurer relieved of duties, board appoints interim treasurer
MADISON COUNTY, Iowa — Madison County leaders are taking the first steps to fill the hole left by the arrest of county treasurer Amanda DeVos. She's charged with felonious misconduct in office, tampering with records, fraudulent practice in the third degree, and third-degree theft. Prosecutors say she falsified county records to show she paid vehicle registration fees when she had not. DeVos' attorney filed paperwork Wednesday waiving her preliminary hearing in court. County leaders formally relieved DeVos of her duties as county treasurer on Wednesday and the Madison County Board of Supervisors then appointed Kylee Barber as acting treasurer. Barber already serves as the county's first deputy treasurer. What are local organizations doing to address Iowa's childcare crisis? Last week, a representative from the city of Winterset confirmed that the city had erroneously received more than a quarter of a million dollars in Tax Increment Financing Funds. The money was supposed to go to other municipalities in the county. At Wednesday night's Board of Supervisors meeting, an angry crowd voiced their frustrations to county leaders — in part over their inability to supervise DeVos' work. The board is divided over whether it did all it could in that regard. Board chair Heather Stancil says she didn't realize there was a problem until it was too late, and Supervisor Diane Fitch disagrees. 'I found out about the treasurer when it was announced. No one had any idea this was going on,'said Stancil. Fitch said, 'When we would bring up that this wasn't working right we would go (to Devos) and say 'can we help you? Can we bring somebody in?' A board member would beat everybody else up and protect the treasurer. We were just trying to be fair and honest and (shrugs). Which board member was that? Supervisor Stancil.' 'It is definitely a black eye on our county and I'm hoping we can find out exactly what happened so we can prevent it from ever happening again,' said Stancil. DeVos does not face any charges connected to misappropriated county funds. Arrested Madison County Treasurer relieved of duties, board appoints interim treasurer What are local organizations doing to address Iowa's childcare crisis? Pharmacy Day at the capitol saw lawmakers advance PBM reform Iowa schools could start as early as day after state fair under new bill WHO 13 Farm Report: Wednesday, February 5th Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
County treasurer, facing a felony charge, expected to be relieved of her duties
(Stock photo) The Madison County treasurer, now facing criminal charges of theft, fraud and felony misconduct in office, is expected to be formally relieved of her duties Wednesday afternoon. The Madison County Board of Supervisors is scheduled to meet in special session to approve a resolution appointing First Deputy County Treasurer Kaylee Barber as the acting county treasurer until County Treasurer Amanda DeVos' status is resolved. The board is also expected to approve a separate resolution that withdraws DeVos' access to Madison County's bank accounts. DeVos, 37, is a Republican who has served as the county treasurer since January 2023. She is facing charges of felonious misconduct on office, tampering with records, third-degree fraudulent practices and third-degree theft. She has yet to enter a plea in the case. According to the county sheriff's office, deputies received an anonymous report last November that DeVos had obtained her vehicle registration without paying the required fees and that she then altered county records so it would appear she had paid the fee. On Jan. 30, after learning that the Auditor of State's office was also looking into the matter but wouldn't being completing its work for several more weeks, sheriff's office personnel met with DeVos. She allegedly admitted creating false government records to show she had paid her vehicle registration fees. An employee of the treasurer's office then provided the sheriff's office with the relevant records, according to the sheriff's office. Prior to the criminal charges being filed, DeVos' office was the subject of several complaints alleging citizens' payments to the county weren't being processed in a timely manner and that payments from the treasurer to various taxing entities in Madison County, such as the Winterset public schools, were not being distributed in a timely manner. Earlier this year, KCCI and WHO reported that city officials in Winterset and Patterson had complained the treasurer's office misallocated $250,000 by mistakenly routing the money to Winterset rather than Patterson. After her arrest, DeVos filed with the court a sworn financial affidavit and application seeking a court-appointed attorney. In her affidavit, she reported she was employed by the county, but did not report any income or assets. District Court Judge Charles C. Sinnard subsequently denied the request, citing the lack of financial information provided by DeVos. DeVos and her privately retained attorney, Timothy McCarthy II, declined to comment on the case Wednesday. In 2023, DeVos was sued by First National Bank of Omaha for failing to pay $7,569 in credit card bills. The case was later dismissed.
Associated Press
31-01-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
US colleges returning to campus sexual assault rules created during Trump's first term
WASHINGTON (AP) — Schools and universities responding to complaints of sexual misconduct must return to policies created during President Donald Trump's first term, with requirements for live hearings and more protections for accused students, according to new guidance issued Friday by the Education Department. In a memo to education institutions across the nation, the agency clarified that Title IX, a 1972 law barring discrimination based on sex, will be enforced according to a set of rules created by former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. The rules govern how complaints of misconduct are investigated and how to settle cases where students present differing accounts. Colleges already have been returning to DeVos' 2020 rules in recent weeks since a federal judge in Kentucky overturned the Biden administration's Title IX rules. The court's decision effectively ordered a return to the earlier Trump administration rules. A statement from the Education Department called Biden's rules an 'egregious slight to women and girls.' 'Under the Trump Administration, the Education Department will champion equal opportunity for all Americans, including women and girls, by protecting their right to safe and separate facilities and activities in schools, colleges and universities,' said Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig Trainor. The Biden administration sought to overhaul the rules and expand Title IX to protect LGBTQ+ students. It expanded the type of behavior that's considered sexual harassment — a reversal of the DeVos policy, which used a narrower definition. But a federal judge in Kentucky overturned Biden's rule on Jan. 9, saying it was a presidential overstep and violated constitutional free speech rights by telling schools to honor students' preferred pronouns. The judge, U.S. District Judge Danny C. Reeves, said there was nothing in Title IX suggesting it should cover anything more than it did when Congress created it. Even before the decision, Biden's rule had been halted in half the states amid legal challenges from Republicans. The full text of the Title IX law is just 37 words long, but the federal government has added rules over the years explaining how it's interpreted. DeVos' policy adds 500 pages detailing how schools must address complaints and how the Education Department makes sure schools comply. Already, the Trump administration has taken a hard turn on its enforcement of Title IX: On Tuesday the Education Department said it opened an investigation into Denver schools after the district converted a girl's restroom into an all-gender restroom while leaving another bathroom exclusive to boys. The new memo says even investigations that started when Biden's rules were in effect 'should be immediately reoriented to comport fully with the requirements of the 2020 Title IX Rule.' DeVos' rules were welcomed by advocates who said colleges had become too quick to punish students accused of sexual misconduct without a fair trial. But the rules were condemned by victims' rights groups who said they retraumatized victims and would deter many from reporting assaults. Among the most controversial changes was a rule requiring colleges to hold live hearings where accused students could cross-examine their accusers through an adviser. The Biden rule eliminated the requirement and made live hearings optional, though some courts had previously upheld an accused student's right to cross examination. More broadly, the 2020 policy narrowed the definition of sexual harassment and the scope of cases that schools must address. It also reduced the liability for colleges, holding them responsible only if they acted with 'deliberate indifference.' Trump's new pick for education secretary is Linda McMahon, a longtime Trump ally known for building the World Wrestling Entertainment professional wrestling empire with her husband, Vince McMahon. Her Senate confirmation hearing has yet to be scheduled.
