Former city clerk of small Iowa town sent to prison for improper use of city funds and arson of community building

DES MOINES – On October 21, 2016, Dorothy L. Dillinger, 61, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge James E. Gritzner to 60 months in prison for mail fraud and malicious use of fire, announced United States Attorney Kevin E. VanderSchel. Dillinger was ordered to serve three years of supervised release following her prison term and to pay $200 towards the Crime Victims’ Fund. A determination regarding restitution will be made at a separate hearing, which date has not yet been scheduled.

Dillinger pled guilty to these offenses on May 24, 2016. As part of her plea, Dillinger admitted to engaging in a scheme to defraud the City of Casey, Iowa, from around 2009 until August 2014, while serving as the City Clerk. As part of that scheme, Dillinger admitted that she used the City’s credit card and City funds to purchase items for personal use without the knowledge or approval of the City Council. Dillinger used the United States Postal Service to mail City checks to pay the resulting credit card statements. Dillinger also admitted to making unauthorized payments to herself for personal expenses without City Council approval or knowledge. Dillinger failed to disclose these expenditures to both the City Council, as well as in minutes from City Council meetings. Dillinger also admitted to maliciously destroying the City of Casey Community Building, which was used in activities affecting interstate commerce, by means of fire. The city building was destroyed by fire from the late night of August 19th into the morning of August 20th in 2014.

This matter was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Iowa Department of Public Safety State Fire Marshal Division, and the Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.