The defendants accused of a $511 million fraud destroyed evidence in anticipation of a 2016 raid on a home and businesses with ties to a polygamous sect, prosecutors said in court papers unsealed Tuesday.
That raid by FBI and IRS agents targeted homes and offices of Kingston Group members. Federal prosecutors wrote that bookshelves had been emptied and computer hard drives had been wiped before agents arrived.
“The investigation has not revealed how the defendants learned that the government obtained sealed search warrants," the court document reads, "but multiple witnesses have stated that Defendants Jacob Kingston and Lev Aslan Dermen talked of having law enforcement contacts willing to provide them with information about ongoing covert investigations.