WICHITA — A former Osawatomie recreation director has been charged in federal court with four counts of tax fraud and 10 counts of money laundering. Ron Maring, 53, Osawatomie, has been accused of embezzling more than $125,000 from the city, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said Monday. Maring is scheduled for to appear March 27 in U.S. District Court in Wichita. The indictment accuses Maring of stealing the money from 2008 to 2011 while he was director of the Osawatomie Recreation Commission. He is accused of writing checks from the recreation commission’s account to himself and to American Legion baseball. The was never used for American Legion baseball, Grissom said. The indictment says that Maring persuaded recreation commission board members to sign blank checks, used his own signature as an endorsement, instructed a recreation commission employee to endorse checks and forged the name of recreation commission members. The indictment also says he failed to report the embezzled money as income on his federal income taxes during those years he deposited stolen funds into his personal account, Grissom said.
Monday, March 9, 5 p.m.
