Payne Charged

Philip G. Payne, 50, of Ryan, Iowa, has been charged with one count of conspiracy to make and deliver false certificates and writings; one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States; and one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud.

The charges are contained in an Information filed today in United States District Court in Cedar Rapids. According to the Information, Payne was the former Operations Manager for Midamar Corporation in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Midamar was indicted on related charges in the Northern District of Iowa on December 5, 2014. The case against Payne is a significant development in the ongoing investigation into the company’s activities.

If convicted on all counts, Payne could be sentenced to eleven years’ imprisonment and fined up to $600,000. A term of supervised release could also be ordered upon conviction on any of the counts.

Payne is scheduled to first appear in court at 4:00 pm on January 5, 2015. 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 Richard L. Murphy and was investigated by the Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General, and the Internal Revenue Service. Court file information is available at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. The case file number is 14-CR-00143-LRR.

The investigation and prosecution of Payne are part of a broader effort to combat white-collar crime and protect the integrity of the financial system. The charges against Payne demonstrate the commitment of law enforcement agencies to holding individuals accountable for their actions.