ANCHORAGE, Alaska – The city of Houston, Alaska, was hit hard yesterday as former treasurer Jess Adams, 67, was slammed with a two-and-a-half-year prison sentence for embezzling over $1 million. Adams, who had administrative control over the city’s finances from 2015 to 2018, funneled funds into his personal accounts and created fake records to cover his tracks.
According to court documents, Adams resigned in 2018 after the City of Houston discovered his fraudulent activities. The former public official then found employment at a Wasilla-based equipment company, where he repeated his deceitful scheme, this time siphoning funds into his own accounts. His embezzlement didn’t stop there; Adams also laundered the money through wire transfers and filed false tax returns to evade taxes on his ill-gotten gains.
U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Gleason ordered Adams to serve three years’ supervised release following his prison term and pay over $1.5 million in restitution to the City of Houston, a private company, and the IRS. “Mr. Adams abused his positions of trust,” said U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker for the District of Alaska, emphasizing the severity of his crimes.
“Stealing from both the government and community members, Mr. Adams’ actions have caused real damage,” added Special Agent in Charge Adam Jobes of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Seattle Field Office. The IRS CI Seattle Field Office investigated the case with significant help from the Alaska State Troopers.
Prosecuted by Trial Attorney Boris Bourget and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tom Bradley and George Tran for the District of Alaska, Adams now faces a lifetime of consequences for his deplorable actions.
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Key Facts
- State: Alaska
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes|Public Corruption|White Collar Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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