Former Hiawatha man who hired hit man to kill ex-wife ordered back to prison

A federal judge is sending a former Hiawatha man, convicted in 2009 for hiring a hit man to kill his ex-wife, back to prison for 10 months for violating conditions of his supervised release.

U.S. District Chief Judge Linda Reade told Daniel Dostart, 51, on Tuesday that his violations are serious and the court is concerned about the risk of danger to the community and to this ex-wife, Tammy Rundel, and her parents. Dostart attempted to extort money - $2,100 - he said she Rundel owed him by threatening to release a sex tape of himself and Rundel if the debt wasn't paid.

Rundel is his second ex-wife who divorced him in 2010, not Jamie Dostart, who he attempted to have killed in 2008.

Reade said in 2008 Dostart told a hit man he didn't care how he killed his first ex-wife, he just wanted her to 'disappear.” Dostart also made indirect threats to a former supervisor, telling them to a co-worker before he was fired, and also to his probation officer, telling him he was tired of the court interfering with his life.

Reade also pointed out besides committing extortion, he also violated his conditions by failing to maintain employment, he was fired from two jobs since on release, threatened to beat up a supervisor in one job, and submitted a diluted urine sample - which he was required to submit.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Lisa Williams said Dostart's letter of extortion is so 'serious and egregious” and going down the same path he was on before. She argued it was pattern of threatening behavior and asked Reade to go above guidelines and send him back to prison for two years and order his serve one year of supervised release.

Williams pointed out that Dostart, who served seven years in prison, was only out on supervised release for two days when he was at Rundel's workplace harassing her.

'He has learned nothing from his prior sentencing,” Williams said. 'He's a dangerous, dangerous man.”

Williams said Dostart perjured himself in court because he claimed he didn't know Rundel didn't want contact with him. He said having no contact with her wasn't part of his conditions of release but she did get a no contact order after the incident and kept refusing his letters.

Rundel, who testified last month at a previous hearing that she divorced him in 2010, refused his letters in 2013 and then he sent two letters to her parents in 2014. She also called Dostart's probation officer after he came to her workplace to report it.

Rundel testified she was scared of Dostart, saying 'I know what he's capable of doing.” She said she believed he would 'hire someone to shoot me or shoot me himself and then kill himself.”

Wallace Rundel, her father, said he thought the letter was intimidating and was fearful for his daughter. The letter talking about the sex tape and money made him feel intimidated. He felt if he didn't comply, Dostart would release the tape to the public.

Dostart on Tuesday said he was sorry to Rundel and her parents. It wasn't his intention to extort money from them, he just thought her parents could help.

He then 'begged and pleaded for mercy” and asked Reade to believe in him, reading her some passages from the Bible, saying if she gave him another chance he wouldn't let her down.

Reade said she was sending him back to prison for 10 months and then ordering he be on supervised release for two years. She also modified his conditions of release to include no direct or indirect contact with Rundel or her parents. Dostart also will be required to live in a re-entry facility or halfway house for 120 days after he's released from prison.