Ex-treasurer fined in tax case

HASTINGS, Neb. -- The former Adams County treasurer was fined $1,000 for misdemeanor attempted tax evasion in Adams County Court Monday.

Julia Moeller, 67, of Hastings, pleaded no contest to the misdemeanor for the purchase of a 2006 Cadillac Escalade.

"I think all of us, including you, have been hurt by this, but we'll get over it," said Adams County Judge Michael Offner.

Moeller was sentenced earlier this month in Clay County District Court for felony tax evasion and misdemeanor official misconduct. In exchange, a charge of misdemeanor abuse of public records was dropped. The case was handled in Clay County because both Adams County district judges recused themselves.

A charge against her husband, Dwane C. Moeller, was dismissed.

Her daughter, former treasurer's office employee Michelan Parr, 42, of Hastings, was sentenced to a year of probation for two misdemeanors after being charged last fall with the same counts as her mother.

Moeller resigned in January, 2 1/2 months after she was charged.

In the felony case, Moeller received a total of three years of probation with 60 days of house arrest and 200 hours of community service. She was also fined $1,500 and was ordered to pay $3,211 restitution.

Offner said the restitution amount, which was for the unpaid sales tax, included the $1,080 for the Escalade, which was purchased in Grand Island for $45,000 in April 2007. The couple received a $16,000 trade-in value on a pickup but inflated that amount to $29,000 to reduce the sales tax owed by $1,065, according to Assistant Attorney General Jeff Gaertig, the prosecuting attorney.

The remainder of the restitution was for a motor home she and her husband bought in 2007 and failed to pay sales taxes on.

Offner said the fine and restitution for the misdemeanor case must be paid first.

In response to a question from Offner, Gaertig said that, while he respects the district court's decision, he wasn't satisfied with the sentence Moeller received there. He believed she should have gotten jail time because she isn't remorseful and abused the power of the office she held for 40 years.

He noted that in the pre-sentence investigation, Moeller said the only reason anything came to light was because "busy bodies stuck their noses in her business."

She knew tax laws and didn't think they applied to her, he said.

"This was a crime of arrogance," he said. "It was a crime of greed, in which she thought, I'm owed this because of what I know and what I can do.' She broke the laws she was sworn to uphold."

He asked for jail time as a matter of deterrence for others in similar positions and to send society a message that such actions won't be tolerated.

"This is more than a slap on the hand case," Gaertig said.

Moeller's attorney, Art Langvardt, said his client has taken responsibility for her actions.

"Her plea is an acceptance of responsibility," he said.

He said she has "suffered greatly" as a result of the cases and he can't see the purpose of putting her in jail.

"The idea that putting people into jail accomplishes something is overrated," he said. "She'll do what she's told. I assure the court there's plenty of remorse here, even before we got to district court."

Moeller told the judge she does feel remorse and the cases weren't planned. She said she saw the purchase and trade-in prices on the registration for the Escalade and saw in a "flash" that the information had been keyed in wrong.

"I pray every day for God's forgiveness," she said, her voice shaking. "It breaks my heart I can't come in here and visit the friends I had. I was here for a long time."

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