On November 9, 2006, the owners of Neways, an internationally known Multi-Level Marketing business based in Springville, United States has decided to sold all of their business interests, including Neways, just days before entering the state federal prison to fulfill the sentences that have been handed to them by the Judge in their Tax evasion case. According to the Vice President of Neways for Human Resources and Organizational Development, James Watson, the company has been snapped up by Golden Gate Capital, a San Francisco based private equity company in a sale that have been close last Wednesday, November 8, 2006. The Financial details regarding the company have not been made public. Neways has been well-known internationally for making both household and personal care products that are then sold by the company’s distributors.

There are about 1,300 people that are in Neways’ employ all throughout the world including 550 people in Utah and have branches in about 23 countries. Former Husband and Wife Thomas and Leslie DeeAnn Mower founded the company back in 1987. The two, who owned about 50% percent of the company separated in July 2000. Just last year, the Mowers were sentenced by a jury to one count of conspiracy to defraud tax officials and six counts of tax evasion from an incident back in 2003. According to investigators, the two cash in checks about a total of $3.2 million dollars without reporting them to the IRS, which resulted in a $1 million dollars tax loss for the IRS.

Thomas and Leslie Mower were ordered by the court to surrender to federal officials last Monday, November 6, 2006 to start their prison sentences. Thomas Mower was sentenced by the court to about two years and nine months in federal prison and a fine of $75,000 dollars. On the other hand, Leslie Mower was sentenced to about three months in federal prison and ordered to pay a fine of $60,000 dollars. They will undergo a 36 months of supervise sentence when they got out of prison. In a released statement the pair said that selling Neways was one of the most difficult decisions that they have ever had to make. But they firmly believe that it would be for the best interests of everybody to push through with the sale of the company as this whole issue not only has affected them but also their customers and employees who have been supportive through the whole crisis.