Des Moines developer accused of fraudulently reporting new vehicle purchases to Iowa DOT

Anna Spoerre | The Des Moines Register

A Des Moines developer has been charged with fraud after allegedly lying to the state about recent vehicle purchases he made.

Jeff Young, owner of We Can Build It, faces five counts of second-degree fraud, a class D felony, court records show. Young earlier this year announced plans for several major development projects throughout the city, including the former Franklin Junior High building and vacant Northwest Community Hospital.

Young inaccurately reported the price he paid for five vehicles he purchased beginning in 2017, court records filed last month show. By falsely reporting the cost of each vehicle to the Iowa Department of transportation, Young avoided paying more than $15,000 in new vehicle registration fees.

When reached Tuesday, Young declined to comment about the charges.

Young’s attorneys William Kutmus and Trevor Hook on Tuesday said their client plans to plead not guilty to all charges at his Dec. 19 arraignment.

Kutmus said he believes there’s been a “mix-up somewhere,” but declined to elaborate further.

Young is accused of misreporting the following purchases to the DOT when paying new car registration fees:

A 1988 specially constructed Atlantis purchased for $105,600 but reported as costing $9,600, saving Young $4,800 in fees.

A 2001 Ferrari 360 purchased for $68,200 but reported as costing $26,000, saving $2,110 in fees.

A 1988 Bentley Continental purchased for $39,600 but reported as costing $3,600, saving $1,800 in fees.

A 1965 Cobra Replica purchased for $110,000 but reported as costing $10,000, saving $5,000 in fees.

A 2017 Jeep Wrangler purchased for $57,200 but reported as costing $22,000, saving $1,760 in fees.

Young received positive publicity earlier this year for plans to redevelop a number of Beaverdale buildings, in particular.

In November, Young purchased Northwest Community Hospital from Hubbell Realty Co. for $525,000 with plans to develop condo units at the 55,000-square-foot building.

In June, the Des Moines City Council voted unanimously to re-zone the Franklin Junior High property, which Young purchased for $2 million. He told the Register earlier this year that he plans to invest $8 million to remodel the space into a mixed-use entertainment venue.

In May, the Iowa Finance Authority's board of directors unanimously approved a sale of its former Grand Avenue building to Young for $1.8 million. He previously said he plans to retain the property as office space.

Anna Spoerre covers crime and courts for the Des Moines Register. She can be contacted at aspoerre@dmreg.com, 515-284-8387 or on Twitter at @annaspoerre.

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