Anthony Dehl isn’t quite having the retirement he anticipated. On February 11, Dehl, former treasurer for the Waterloo Education Association, an affiliate of the National Education Association, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Iowa to wire fraud in the sum of $54,254 against the association. He was a longtime teacher with Waterloo Community Schools until his retirement last year. Dehl had been charged on January 28 following federal and state investigations. A sentencing date has not been set.
According to prosecutors, Dehl over a roughly five-year period diverted funds from union accounts to his own personal use. Unauthorized transactions included wire transfers, cash withdrawals, debit card purchases, and checks made out to cash. He spent a sizable portion of that money on gambling. In addition, he concealed the thefts by falsifying reports to the U.S. Labor Department and the Iowa Public Employment Relations Board. School officials insist that Dehl’s retirement had nothing to do with the allegations.