Sentence handed down to employee who stole from Lake business

A Buffalo Center, Iowa man who pleaded guilty to federal charges of mail fraud in conjunction with stealing more than $318,000 from his Clear Lake employer was sentenced to prison time last week in U.S. District Court.

Richard Wubben  worked as a sales specialist for Titan Pro from Oct. 14, 2014 to Dec. 8, 2015.  He was accused of selling seeds, farm chemicals and other agricultural products for Titan Pro, but never paid the company. A new inventory management system put in place by Titan Pro in 2015 to track products used by its sales associates discovered the inventory Wubben said he was housing in a Buffalo Center building was missing.   The missing inventory was valued at $318,485.

Court documents stated Wubben would direct customers to make payments for products directly to him.

U.S. District Court Judge Linda Reade sentenced Wubben to 30 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.  Wubben was also ordered to pay back all the money prosecutors said he took.