Marion Woman, Former Treasurer Convicted of Tax Evasion After Taking Thousands from Wyoming City

A former city treasurer for Guernsey, WY, was convicted of tax evasion on Wednesday connected to missappropriation of funds in her previous role. 

Leslie Diane Zynda, 39, who's current residence is listed as Marion, IA, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Alan B. Johnson to 24 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $276,705 in restitution to Guernsey and $75,089 to the IRS.

Guernsey is a town of about 1,150 people on the eastern side of Wyoming, about 100 miles north of Cheyenne. 

Here's more details of the case posted on infowyo.com.

According to information contained in the charging document, between April 15, 2006 and through April 15, 2012, while Zynda was resident of Guernsey, Wyoming, she attempted to evade and defeat a large part of income taxes due and owing by her and her spouse to the United States of America for the calendar years 2005 through 2011.

Zynda prepared and caused to be prepared, signed false and fraudulent joint Form 1040 U.S. Individual Income Tax Returns on behalf of herself and her spouse, which were filed with the Internal Revenue Service. For tax years 2005 through 2011 she failed to report taxable income on those returns totaling $276,706 when she knew and believed their joint tax liability for the years 2005 through 2011 was understated by $75,089.

During the plea hearing on March 12, 2013, when asked by the government what was the source of the unreported income totaling $276,706, Zynda replied, “Money that I improperly took from the Town of Guernsey.”