Marion Woman Charged with Wire Fraud

Megan Middaugh, age 38, from Marion, Iowa, has been charged with five counts of wire fraud.­ The charges are contained in an Indictment filed today in United States District Court in Cedar Rapids.

The Indictment alleges that, beginning in about January 2020, and continuing until June 2023, Middaugh devised a scheme to defraud and to obtain the funds of a dependent person. Middaugh used and misappropriated funds and assets from a dependent person's bank accounts. Middaugh had access to the bank accounts as a conservator and trustee. She used the misappropriated funds for her own purposes and not for the benefit of the dependent person. This included the alleged use of approximately $52,000 for online games through the gaming platform, Skillz, Inc. The Indictment alleges five transfers of amounts between $100 and $500 to Skillz, Inc. between January 30, 2020, and January 22, 2021.

If convicted on all charges, Middaugh faces a possible maximum sentence of 100 years' imprisonment, a $1,250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release following any imprisonment.­

Middaugh's first appearance in federal court in Cedar Rapids for arraignment is set for October 21, 2024.

As with any criminal case, a charge is merely an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kyndra Lundquist and was investigated by Marion Police Department.

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

The case file number is 24-CR-0089.

Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.