An Earling, Iowa man has been sentenced to four months in federal prison for wire fraud. Mitch William Gross, 34, was found to have defrauded his employer, Ruan Transportation Corporation, by using company credit cards for personal purchases between September 2021 and October 2022.
Court documents state that Gross used the cards to buy prepaid gift cards, Pokemon cards, and gaming items. He then submitted falsified receipts and misrepresented these charges on his expense reports so they would appear as legitimate business expenses. The total value of the fraudulent purchases exceeded $140,000.
In addition to his prison sentence, Gross will serve a three-year term of supervised release after completing his imprisonment. He has also been ordered to pay $146,590.15 in restitution. There is no parole in the federal system.
United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa announced the sentencing. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Des Moines Police Department investigated the case.
