A second city clerk in small NE IA town charged with mishandling city fund

News

October 21st, 2025 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – For the second time in less than a decade, a former city clerk in the small Delaware County town of Delhi has been charged with mishandling thousands of dollars in city funds. In 2017, Angela Billings pleaded guilty and was sentenced to over a year in federal prison for embezzling over a hundred-thousand dollars from the City of Delhi. Lori Tucker — who replaced Billings as Delhi’s City Clerk — has been charged with first and second degree theft and with tampering with records.

According to a special investigation by the State Auditor’s Office that was released over a year ago, Tucker used the city’s credit card and checking account for improper purchases while she was Delhi’s City Clerk. The review also found Tucker paid herself for excessive overtime and vacation. Auditors flagged over 80-thousand dollars in improper or unsupported spending.

Delhi’s former mayor is also charged with aiding Tucker’s theft and impersonating a public official. The Delaware County Sheriff’s Office says he was caught on surveillance video signing a form that granted Tucker paid time off in late 2021 — but he signed the form in February of 2022 when he was no longer mayor.