Julie D. Woodland, Interstate Transportation of Funds Obtained by F…

Julie D. Woodland, 55, of Maple Hill, Kan., has admitted to stealing from her own family. The Wabaunsee County woman, who served as executor of her mother’s estate and trustee of her parents’ trusts, pleaded guilty Monday to interstate transportation of funds obtained by fraud — a federal crime stemming from the $270,000 sale of a South Padre Island condo.

As trustee of trusts established by her parents, Stephen W. Dibble and Elaine R. Dibble, Woodland was bound by legal and ethical duty to distribute proceeds equally among herself and her brothers, Lance A. Dibble and Stan Dibble. Instead, she funneled half the sale proceeds to one brother, Stan Dibble, and pocketed the rest, vanishing with over $135,000 that should have been shared.

The fraud unraveled when Lance Dibble, a rightful beneficiary, demanded a full accounting of the trust assets. Woodland refused — stone-walling her brother’s requests, blocking transparency, and violating her fiduciary role. Her silence triggered suspicion and ultimately led to federal investigation.

According to court documents, the condo was sold in 2022, but no proper distribution followed. Woodland moved the funds across state lines — a key factor that elevated the crime to federal jurisdiction. That act, knowingly transporting stolen trust money, forms the basis of the single count she now faces.

Sentencing is scheduled for May 8. Woodland could be locked up for up to 10 years and slapped with a fine as high as $250,000. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rich Hathaway, with federal investigators from the FBI leading the probe.

U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said the betrayal of family trust is particularly egregious when paired with financial crime. ‘She wasn’t just handling assets,’ Beall said. ‘She was violating the last wishes of her parents.’ The case serves as a stark warning: even within bloodlines, greed can trigger federal time.