DES MOINES - The Iowa Attorney General's Office has filed a lawsuit against a Muscatine couple, alleging consumer fraud by a business they operated out of eastern Iowa.

The lawsuit, filed June 23 in Muscatine County District Court, alleges consumer fraud against Johnathan C. Ahlf, Kristen N. Lain, and the company they operated, Profit Alliance.

The petition said the business encouraged people to pay for training and support needed to operate a turn-key tax and business expense recovery.

The lawsuit alleges the company, which had a home office in Davenport and then Bettendorf, advertised a tax and sale recovery business as an investment opportunity. They sold several business opportunities over the Internet and held training sessions in Muscatine, the petition says.

But the lawsuit alleges Profit Alliance created unrealistic expectations for potential buyers of what profit the business might expect. They also claimed to have several accountants, attorneys and business experts on staff, statements the lawsuit alleges were false.

The defendants could not immediately be reached for comment.

Contact Charlotte Eby at (515) 243-0138 or chareby@aol.com