The Conesville City Clerk who allegedly mismanaged the city’s finances has been arrested on theft and forgery charges. While serving as clerk of the town of approximately 350 people, Yamira Martinez allegedly mismanaged and stole tens of thousands of dollars. According to the Muscatine County Sheriff’s Office, Martinez was arrested on June 25 following the release of the findings of a special investigation by the state auditor. Officials looked into Martinez’s conduct during her tenure with Conesville from July 1, 2022 to April 30, 2024. She has been charged with two counts of ongoing criminal conduct, two counts of theft, one count of unauthorized use of credit card over $10,000 and one count of forgery. All charges are felonies.

According to the auditor’s report, Martinez’s misconduct resulted in:

• $40,129.40 of improper payroll
• $7,545.28 of improper reimbursements issued to Martinez
• $12,409.39 of improper purchases made on the city’s credit card
• $700 of improper disbursements to vendors
• $4,533.10 of IRS penalties
• $612.71 of Iowa Public Employees’ Retirement System penalties were issued
• $23,505.65 in unbilled utility charges
• $17,744.80 in undeposited utility charges
• $9,760.31 in utility account adjustments

Martinez’s preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 3.