Published October 25, 2010, 09:55 PM

Spirit Lake woman sentenced for filing false tax return

SPIRIT LAKE, Iowa — A Spirit Lake woman accused of taking money from a non-profit group was sentenced to more than a year in federal prison after pleading guilty to one count of filing a false 2004 federal tax return. Margaret Ruth Waltz, 46, of Spirit Lake, was executive director of BASS, the Before and After School Services program that provided care to children enrolled in Head Start, Department of Education at-risk programs and early childhood special education programs. BASS received funds from the Iowa Department of Human Services, private grants and fees charged to parents who participated in the program.