Hawkeye Reporter

An Earling, Iowa resident has been sentenced to four months in federal prison for wire fraud. Court records show that Mitch William Gross, 34, committed the offense between September 2021 and October 2022 while employed by Ruan Transportation Corporation.

During this period, Gross used company credit cards to make personal purchases, including prepaid gift cards, Pokemon cards, and gaming items. He then submitted false receipts and misrepresented these expenses on his reports so they would appear as legitimate business transactions. The total amount of fraudulent purchases exceeded $140,000.

Gross was also ordered to pay $146,590.15 in restitution and will serve a three-year term of supervised release after completing his prison sentence. There is no parole in the federal system.

United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa announced the sentencing. The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Des Moines Police Department.