Ottumwa woman sentenced for using mother-in-law’s identity to commit theft

On June 20, 2024, a Jefferson County jury returned verdicts of guilty as charged against Ammy Ann Nelson, also known as Ammy Dennison, of Ottumwa, Iowa, for one count of Theft in the First Degree, and one count of Identity Theft over $10,000.

Each count constituted a Class C felony under Iowa law. The jury found that Ms. Nelson, between January and July of 2023, used the identity information of her elderly mother-in-law to illegally transfer at least $84,025.99 in U.S. currency into Ms. Nelson’s bank account.

The evidence presented also showed that the stolen funds were used to purchase $40,363 in Iowa lottery tickets over a six month period. On Aug. 26, 2024, the District Court of Jefferson County sentenced Ms. Nelson to 10-year indeterminate sentences in the Iowa Correctional Institute for Women in Mitchellville, Iowa, to run concurrent and be imposed, and took Ms. Nelson into immediate custody.

The defendant was also ordered to pay restitution to the victim in the amount of $84,025.99, and ordered to have no contact with the victim.

“The defendant took advantage of her position of trust to steal an inordinate sum from a vulnerable member of our community who lives on a fixed income and could not afford such a loss,” said Jefferson County Attorney Chauncey Moulding. “The sentence is appropriate in order to protect the community from further criminal acts by the defendant and to discourage financial abuse or exploitation of elder Iowans.”

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