Perhaps someone will understand the reference in the title (it’s to one of my favorite novels). But this is a tale from Dubuque, Iowa about a scheme gone bad.
James Spaulding was the director of the Clarke University Bookstore; he and Thomas DeFelice came up with the perfect crime. Well, since you’re reading about it here it at least started off that way….
They created a phony book company; that company then invoiced the Clarke bookstore for books that hadn’t been sold to them (but that were approved by Mr. Spaulding). The fraud was over $300,000. Compounding Mr. Spaulding’s troubles he lied to a federal grand jury.
They both pleaded guilty: Mr. Spaulding of two counts of filing false tax returns and one of mail fraud while Mr. DeFelice pled to one count of filing false tax returns. Mr. Spaulding earlier received 57 months at ClubFed; Mr. DeFelice received 12 months at ClubFed.
As to the reference, it’s to the Pulitzer Prize winning novel Advise and Consent. If you haven’t read this novel of Washington politics, I highly recommend it. As to why “They’ll Know It in Dubuque” is a reference to Advise and Consent, you will just have to read the novel to find out.