What Led To An Iowa Man's Fraudulent Spending Spree?

Let's get something out of the way right off the top here - stealing is wrong!

That being said, if you did happen to line your pockets with six figures in ill-gotten gains, what would you splurge on?

Cars?

Trips?

Jewelry?

Not if you're this guy in Iowa.

The Crime

34-year-old Mitch William Gross of Earling has been sentenced to federal prison after being convicted of wire fraud.

It seems that for more than a year, Mitch was running a scam on his employer, Ruan Transportation Corporation, racking up personal purchases to the tune of more than $140,000 from September 2021 to October 2022.

Falsified Reports

According to court documents, he used business-related credit cards to buy stuff and then submitted falsified receipts and “mischaracterized fraudulent charges” on his expense reports to make the purchases appear legitimate.

So what did Mitch get for his $146,590.15?

He Bought What?

Purchase records say the bulk went to prepaid gift cards, gaming items, and, believe it or not, Pokémon cards.

Payback is a...

After his prison stint, he will be under supervised release for three years and have to pay back the money he stole.

I wonder how many Pokémon cards he needs to sell to clear $146K?

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