Ellen L. Corn, 50, of Petersburg, Indiana, has been sentenced to one year and nine months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to five counts of wire fraud. Corn was also ordered to pay $121,439.72 in restitution.
Court documents show that from March 2017 to August 2022, Corn served as the Executive Director for a Dubois County nonprofit that facilitates a youth mentoring program and provides college scholarships for local high school students. During her tenure, Corn handled financial responsibilities including entering all income and expenses into the organization’s accounting software and had access to the nonprofit’s credit card.
Over the five-year period, Corn stole a total of $161,344.85 through several methods. She used the organization’s credit card for personal expenses at businesses including Amazon, Target, and Walmart, and to pay for her children’s college tuition. In total, Corn made approximately 1,226 unauthorized credit card transactions. She also transferred funds from the nonprofit’s PayPal account to her personal account and made unauthorized purchases directly from the organization’s checking account using both debit card and checks.
Corn maintained enough funds in the organization’s accounts to cover her illegitimate spending by reducing funding for certain departments and programs. In 2022, she failed to notify a first-generation college student that they had been selected to receive a scholarship. To conceal the fraud, Corn deliberately omitted the unauthorized transactions from the nonprofit’s accounting records, which were regularly presented to the Board of Directors and the organization’s tax preparer.
Federal authorities noted that Corn’s actions violated the trust placed in her as an executive director of an organization dedicated to serving local youth. U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, Tom Wheeler, emphasized that the sentence demonstrates accountability and the commitment to protecting nonprofits from financial exploitation.
The U.S. Secret Service highlighted the case as an example of pursuing officials who illegally enrich themselves through fraud, while the Jasper Police Department credited Detective Sergeant Greg Brescher and members of the community for providing information that helped uncover the scheme.
The investigation was jointly conducted by the U.S. Secret Service and the Jasper Police Department. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Richard L. Young. U.S. Attorney Wheeler acknowledged Assistant United States Attorney Matthew B. Miller for prosecuting the case.
You must be logged in to post a comment.