Two Des Moines women who married in Canada in 2003 and were active advocates for gay marriage have reached a plea agreement in their embezzlement case. Phyllis Stevens was accused of stealing nearly six million dollars over five years from Aviva, a West Des Moines insurance company.
Phyllis and her spouse, Marla Stevens, were both charged in the case. They were arrested about a year ago after an employee at the firm discovered improper payments were routed to the couple’s bank account in Indiana. Phyllis Stevens was accused of fraud and money laundering. Marla Stevens was charged with conspiracy and spending stolen money.
Both will enter their guilty pleas next Thursday, although just what they’re pleading guilty to hasn’t been disclosed. The women made tens of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions to Democratic politicians in 2006 and 2008. They also formed two political action committees: Rainbow Equality and Queer PAC.