DES MOINES – A federal grand jury in Des Moines returned an indictment charging 18 individuals with offenses related to bank fraud, money laundering, and conspiracy. As alleged in the Indictment, defendants orchestrated a nationwide scheme to defraud financial institutions and draw funds from stolen business checks. They first obtained the stolen checks from uncharged co-conspirators, registered sham entities with the IRS and state government agencies—including the Iowa Secretary of State, and after obtaining registration documents and IRS employer identification numbers, opened or attempted to open accounts at banks and credit unions. Defendants and their co-conspirators attempted to deposit at least $10 million worth of stolen checks into fraudulent accounts and were able to obtain at least $2.1 million in proceeds from their criminal conduct.

IOWA – Dry conditions have settled into most of the state after one of the most active spring and summer seasons on record. This week’s Iowa Crop Progress and Condition report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows 94 percent or more of the state’s crops remain in good shape, even as roughly 70 percent of the state’s soil had adequate moisture.

DES MOINES – Lost in the shuffle of the wild finish to CyHawk football this past Saturday Defendants and their co-conspirators attempted to deposit at least $10 million worth of stolen checks into fraudulent accounts and were able to obtain at least $2.1 million in proceeds from their criminal conduct.was another special moment for an Iowa-based football program. The Drake Bulldogs defeated FCS program Eastern Washington, the first win for the Des Moines non-scholarship program against a team that has scholarship athletes in nearly two decades.