(Jasper, Indiana) An alleged near-decade-long scheme to embezzle more than $150,000 from a Jasper Healthcare Nonprofit caused a federal grand jury to indict 61-year-old Michele Rose, of Jasper, on twelve counts of wire fraud and twelve counts of forging checks. Although the name of the organization Rose embezzled from was not named in the Attorney’s Office press release, an article posted on the Memorial Hospital and Health Care Center website mentions Michele Rose as the Medical Staff Coordinator.
The indictment was unsealed on February 28th, following Rose’s arrest and initial court appearance.
Court documents indicate that Rose served as the Medical Staff Coordinator for the organization for several years. Throughout her employment, she would occasionally make business-related purchases with personal funds and be reimbursed by the business upon providing proof of receipt. Michele Rose allegedly wrote 165 fraudulent reimbursement checks to herself for purchases she never made between March 2011 and December 2020.
Rose leveraged her position to embezzle $153,769 through several misrepresentations for reimbursement of non-existing expenses by obtaining blank checks from organization leadership. She would write the signed, blank checks to herself for various amounts before depositing the funds into her personal bank account. Michele Rose concealed her embezzlement by omitting fraudulent reimbursement requests from the organization’s leadership.
Rose faces imprisonment for up to 30 years if convicted and will see a federal district court judge for sentencing. Indictments are merely allegations until defendants are proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
