North Dakota
Man pleads guilty to filing fraudulent tax returns for North Dakota clients
FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Live) – A former tax return preparer, who provided services to clients in North Dakota, pleaded guilty Wednesday to five counts of preparing false tax returns for clients.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Joseph Korha, currently of Minneapolis, Minnesota, worked as a tax return preparer for a business located in Phoenix, Arizona.
In 2019, Korha prepared and submitted more than 100 fraudulent returns for clients, many of whom resided in the Fargo area.
Korha claimed false tax credits and fictitious business profits and losses on these returns, which inflated his clients’ tax refunds. In total, Korha caused a tax loss to the IRS of approximately $294,000.
Korha is scheduled to be sentenced on Monday, June 3, 2024, at 10 a.m. He faces a maximum penalty of three years in prison for each count of filing a false tax return.
He also faces a period of supervised release, restitution, and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Mac Schneider for the District of North Dakota made the announcement.
“This guilty plea is a victory for honest taxpayers,” Schneider said. “Nobody likes taxes, but when a preparer willfully commits fraud, that’s a crime that hurts the millions of Americans who work with trusted professionals to follow the law. I want to thank our partners at IRS Criminal Investigation for ensuring justice was done in this case.”
“A guilty plea is a good first step in achieving justice for taxpayers,” said Special Agent in Charge Thomas F. Murdock, IRS Criminal Investigation’s St. Louis Field Office. “CI is happy to work alongside our partners in the U.S. Attorney’s Office to track down fraudulent tax preparers and hold them accountable for taking advantage of unsuspecting taxpayers.”
IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.
Trial Attorney Dominick Giovanniello of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan A. Healy of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of North Dakota are prosecuting the case.
Copyright 2024 KVLY. All rights reserved.
MANDAN, N.D. (KVRR-KFGO) – Former North Dakota Game & Fish Director Terry Steinwand has been charged with molesting a child.
The Class “A” misdemeanor was filed after a Morton County District Court judge rejected a proposed plea agreement to a felony charge and prosecutors dismissed the charge while retaining the right to file an amended charge.
Steinwand is from Mandan. The 72-year-old is now charged with one count of sexual assault-offensive contact. The charge carries a maximum sentence of one year in jail.
Steinwand was originally charged in September, 2025, when police say he admitted to sexual misconduct.
Steinwand worked for the Game & Fish Dept. for 40 years. He led the agency for about 15 years and retired in 2021.
(KNOX) – The North Dakota Board of Higher Education is being asked to weigh in on the reconstruction of Ray Richard’s Golf Course in Grand Forks. The upgrades and deferred maintenance improvements are the result of the pending DeMers Avenue/42nd Street Underpass project.
UND sold 6.5 acres of the nine hole course to the North Dakota Department of Transportation for the grade separation. During the road construction the golf course will be realigned and reduced to a par 34 course. UND will also address underground utilities and irrigation systems. The total cost is around 4.5 million dollars.
The course will close for the 2026 and 2027 seasons. The goal is to reopen in 2028. SBHE is expected to approve the design at its April 30th meeting.
Crews are expected to begin preliminary work on the $90 million dollar underpass project this week. The initial phase will have minimal impacts to traffic on both 42nd Street and DeMers Avenue. Larger impacts are expected later this summer.
MAPLETON, N.D. (Valley News Live) – Casselton Fire responded to a shop fire in rural Mapleton on Saturday afternoon, according to Casselton Fire Chief John Hejl.
Casselton Fire was dispatched to the scene at 3:30 p.m. Saturday. Windy conditions escalated the fire before crews arrived, Hejl said.
Firefighters used defensive and offensive lines to control the fire upon arrival.
Casselton Fire was assisted by Cass County Sheriff’s Office, Casselton Ambulance, West Fargo Police Department, Davenport Fire and Mapleton Fire.
Copyright 2026 KVLY. All rights reserved.
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