Former director of Idaho Association of Highway Districts faces 7 grand theft felony charges
The former executive director of the Idaho Association of Highway Districts has been charged with embezzling funds from the organization between 2013 and 2016, according to Ada County court records filed in August.
Nine Treasure Valley highway districts are members of the IAHD, which lobbies on behalf of Idaho’s 63 highway districts, 62 of which are members, according to its website.
In fiscal year 2016, the IAHD collected $189,500 in membership dues paid to IAHD with taxpayer funds.
The state charged Stuart Davis with seven counts of grand theft over $1,000 over the nearly four-year period. The indictment alleges that Davis used the embezzled funds for personal gains, including on membership for a social club and to pay a private airline company, Jetstream Aviation.
One count alleges that Davis embezzled the funds by paying a monthly fee for an “unauthorized satellite service” between September 2013 and November 2016, according to court documents.
The state also charged the former assistant director of the IAHD, Laura Lantz, with two felony counts at the same time for aiding and abetting grand theft and for computer crime. The indictment alleges that Lantz helped Davis to embezzle funds by recording a credit in the association’s financial records to hide missing money ahead of a board meeting where those records were presented.
Lantz’s charge of computer crime was related to the first charge, for using a computer network to aid in the alleged embezzlement.
Scott Graf, a spokesman for the Idaho attorney general, declined to comment on pending litigation.
Courtney Peterson, who is working on the case with Davis’ head lawyer, Chuck Peterson, declined to comment on the case.
“Ms. Lantz has not violated any laws,” her lawyer, Scott McKay, wrote in an email to the Statesman. “She very much looks forward to having her day in court.” He declined to comment further.
Davis is set to appear in court on Jan. 22, 2019, and Lantz’s hearing will follow on March 20.
At the helm of IAHD
The IAHD executive committee has oversight over the executive director, according to the association’s website, and is comprised of the president, two vice presidents, board chairman and past president.
Current IAHD President Neal Gier declined to comment, as did executive committee member and Ada County Highway District commissioner Rebecca Arnold. Arnold and Golden Gate Highway District commissioner David Lincoln both served as IAHD presidents during part of the time Davis allegedly embezzled funds from the organization.
According to LinkedIn, Davis had worked at the Idaho Association of Highway Districts since 1990. He left in December 2016, according to current IAHD executive director Nick Veldhouse, who took over in January 2017.
Lantz left in May or June of 2017, Veldhouse said. In June 2017, Lantz was named the executive director of the Idaho Society of Certified Public Accountants, according to the Idaho Business Review.
Jetstream Aviation, where Davis allegedly spent some of the embezzled funds, did not respond to a request for comment.
Editor’s note: Lantz’s husband, Jason Lantz, was formerly managing editor at the Idaho Statesman. He submitted his resignation on Aug. 10. This article has been reported and edited by journalists hired after his departure.