Former City Clerk Sentenced To Prison For Stealing More Than $470,000

A woman who used her position as the city clerk for the City of Garwin to steal more than $470,000 in public funds was sentenced yesterday to 28 months in federal prison. 

Anna Leytham from Garwin, Iowa, received the prison term after a guilty plea to theft of public funds. 

In a plea agreement, Leytham admitted that she held a position of public trust as the city clerk and that her position of trust contributed significantly to the commission and concealment of her crime.  At sentencing, she agreed that she stole more than $470,000 from the city, including $397,601.12 she stole to make payments on her personal credit cards.  Leytham also agreed she owes more than $485,000 in restitution, which includes costs the city incurred to conduct the audit that discovered the breadth of her crime.    

Leytham was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge Linda R. Reade.  Leytham was sentenced to 28 months’ imprisonment.  A special assessment of $100 was imposed, and she was ordered to make a total of $485,629.01 in restitution to the city and the city’s insurance company.  She must also serve term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

“The citizens of Garwin deserve better from their public officials as do all Iowans,” stated United States Attorney Kevin W. Techau.  “Betraying the public’s trust and wasting tax dollars is a crime we take very seriously.  Those who choose to ignore federal law will be held accountable, just as this sentence holds Ms. Leytham accountable.” 

Leytham was released on the bond previously set and is to surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on a date yet to be set.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jacob A. Schunk and investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. 

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file number is 16-CR-7.

Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.