Des Moines Man Sentenced to 21 Months’ Imprisonment for Computer Fraud

DES MOINES, Iowa - A Des Moines man was sentenced on June 11, 2026, to 21 months' imprisonment for computer fraud inflicted on the Saydel Community School District for over a year and a half.

According to public court documents and evidence presented at sentencing, in April 2023, Ezekiel Dean Potter, 34, was terminated from his job in the IT department of Saydel Community School District. Prior to his termination, Potter downloaded over 300 usernames and passwords for District accounts and programs, which he used over the next year and a half to access or attempt to access various District online accounts and applications to disrupt District operations.

The attacks began in June 2023 when Potter took down one of the District's social media pages. After that, Potter began trying to revoke District employee access to critical systems and delete District accounts and information. When successful, this resulted in districtwide technology outages and required significant remediation efforts from District employees, among other interruptions. Potter's misconduct culminated in a series of attacks in January 2025 on District applications that resulted in suspending classes for multiple hours.

It was later determined Potter orchestrated many of the attacks from the offices of his subsequent employers. At one of those employers, Potter left a USB drive that contained hundreds of District usernames and passwords, along with other sensitive District information. After realizing he left the drive behind, Potter attempted to have a former coworker to "wipe" it.

In addition to his sentence of imprisonment, Potter was sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $59,668.81 in restitution to the Saydel Community School District and its insurer.

"Ezekiel Potter's theft and malicious use of sensitive data to target his former employer resulted in significant disruptions to school operations," said Eugene Kowel, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Omaha Field Office. "Whether it's a large corporation or a school district here in the heartland, the FBI and our partners will use every investigative method to bring to justice criminals like Potter who weaponize privileged access to computer systems to harm victims and commit fraud."

United States Attorney David C. Waterman of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Polk County Sherriff's Office investigated the case.

Assistant United States Attorney Joseph Lubben prosecuted the case.