(Dubois County, IN) Forty-seven-year-old Ellen L. Corn of Petersburg, IN has been indicted by a federal grand jury on fifteen counts of wire fraud for allegedly embezzling more than $156,000 from Mentors for Youth of Dubois County.
Court documents state that Corn served as the organization’s executive director from March 2017 through August 2022. Corn’s work responsibilities included entering income expenses into company software. Throughout her employment, Ellen Corn misappropriated funds from the organization’s credit card, without authorization, for personal expenses. She attempted to conceal the embezzlement by using the organization’s card to pay a third-party electronic payment service, wiring funds to her own account, then transferring that balance into her personal checking account.
Corn’s indictment was unsealed on February 27th following her arrest and initial appearance in court. She faces up to 20 years imprisonment if indicted for wire fraud. Her sentence will be decided by a federal district court judge.
An indictment is considered an allegation and defendants remain innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. A statement from Mentors for Youth Dubois County is copied below:
“For 35 years, Mentors for Youth, formerly Big Brothers Big Sisters, has served a vital purpose in Dubois County. Our mission to facilitate relationships between local youth and caring adults has positively impacted innumerable individuals in this community. As we process the news of the arrest of our former director, we remain focused on this mission. Though deeply saddened by the actions of this individual, we are grateful for the members of both our local and federal law enforcement for their time and dedication to this investigation. We are also incredibly thankful for all the local partner organizations and community members that assisted us in becoming a stronger agency. Since uncovering this issue, we have worked hard to make substantive changes to ensure our policies and procedures will prevent this from occurring in the future. While our work in serving at-risk children was never compromised, we are genuinely sorry for any distress this may have caused. We will live up to our organization’s mission by ensuring transparency, accountability, and integrity. As we move forward, we are determined to support more youth in our community. Thank you for your steadfast support of our mission. “
