Amanda M. Meade, 41, Palmyra, Wisconsin, was charged on February 23, 2023, in Dane County Circuit Court with six Felony counts of filing a false or fraudulent state income tax return for the years 2016 through 2021.

According to the criminal complaint, Meade failed to report income embezzled from the Sugar River Senior Center in Belleville, Wisconsin, on her Wisconsin income tax returns. The complaint alleges that Meade filed tax returns that understated her total income by more than $117,000. The Wisconsin income tax evaded for 2016 through 2021 is alleged to be $8,081.

Under Wisconsin law, filing a false or fraudulent income tax return is a felony. If convicted on all counts, Meade could face up to 36 years in prison and $60,000 in fines, or both.

Meade is being prosecuted by the Dane County District Attorney's Office following an investigation by the Belleville Police Department, the Wisconsin Department of Justice's Division of Criminal Investigation, and the Wisconsin Department of Revenue's Office of Criminal Investigation.

Meade is also facing six other Felony charges in Dane County that were filed on January 13, 2023. Three Felony charges of Identity Theft-Obtain Money or Credit, one Felony charge of Theft-Movable Property >$10,000, one Felony charge of Theft-Business Setting >$10,000, and one Felony charge of Theft-Movable Property >$10,000. During her initial appearance on February 16, 2023, for those charges, Meade signed a signature bond set in the amount of $500 per case with the following conditions: Defendant shall not be at Sugar River Senior Center and have no contact with any of their employees or staff. Defendant shall not work in any job that handles any money, checks or credit cards that don't belong to the defendant. Defendant shall complete the booking/fingerprinting process if required.

Meade is accused of using the Senior Center's bank and credit card accounts to pay for personal items, mortgage payments to stop foreclosure proceedings, a trip to Ireland, other trips, clothes, food and car payments, along with other purchases.

The Sugar River Senior Center, which serves the senior population in the Village of Belleville, Township of Exeter (in Green County) and the Township of Montrose (in Dane County), suffered a loss of $136,575.00, including more than $62,000.00 in extra paychecks over the course of seven years.

Meade's initial appearance for the tax fraud charges will be on March 9, 2023, at 10:30 a.m., in Dane County Circuit Court. On March 10, 2023, there will be a status conference at Dane County Circuit Court at 9:00 a.m., for the charges related to embezzling money from the Sugar River Senior Center.

Pursuant to the directive of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, as found in the Supreme Court Rule 20:3.6, Trial Publicity, you are advised that a charge is merely an accusation, and that the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.