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Posted: 9:21 AM- Thomas E. Mower and Leslie DeeAnn Mower were an example of a couple who made good and did good. Both came from humble beginnings but together built one of the largest multilevel marketing companies in the world in Utah County.
Individually and through Neways Inc., the two gave generously. Their contributions through the years included millions of dollars in relief aid, scholarships, help for disabled children and support for an Olympic athlete.
But prosecutor Caryn Mark said the Mowers' largesse was funded through their evasion of personal income taxes. And on Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Dale Kimball ordered the now-divorced couple to prison, rejecting their pleas for probation.
The sentence for Thomas Mower was 33 months in prison and a $75,000 fine. His ex-wife, who goes by Dee, was ordered to spend 27 months behind bars and pay a $60,000 fine. Their prison terms begin Nov. 13.
They also must pay back taxes - about $200,000 for Thomas and $89,000 for Dee - and are jointly liable for the $14,255 cost of the jury trial that ended in their conviction on income tax evasion and conspiracy to defraud the Internal Revenue Service.
Kimball also sentenced James Louis Thompson, an Orem lawyer who served as counsel for Neways from 1995 to 1997, to 366 days in prison. Thompson, now disbarred, was found guilty of conspiracy and of corruptly impeding the due administration of tax laws.
The Salem-based Neways Inc. manufactures, markets and sells personal care and nutritional products in the United States and about two dozen foreign countries. The Mowers are selling the company due to "personal differences," according to a brief filed by Thomas' lawyers.
At a 2005 trial, prosecutors alleged the Mowers concealed more than $1 million in receipts received from Neways Australia and more than $3 million in commission income the couple received from U.S., Australian and Malaysian distributorships. Thompson allegedly created a bogus document that claimed some of the income was a nontaxable loan.
The Mowers, who divorced in July 2000, were accused of using the unreported income to buy assets, including 1,400 acres in Utah County's Hobble Creek Canyon and a Salem warehouse used as the company's manufacturing facility.
They also contributed to community and charitable projects. Among those supported by Thomas Mower were an orphanage in Costa Rica, a school for disabled children in Russia, and the Freedom Festival in Provo. He provided a stipend of $5,000 a month for three years to Olympic medalist Matt Gaffari and founded the nonprofit Earth Stewardship Foundation.
His former wife created the Utah Valley State College Leslie DeeAnn Asian Center, which supports a study abroad program in China and has hosted dozens of foreign ambassadors. She also has funded UVSC scholarships and is a sponsor of the college ice hockey team.
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