February 23, 2021 at 6:45 p.m.
Former trustee pleads guilty
Bearcreek Township
Former trustee pleads guilty
A former Bearcreek Township Trustee has pleaded guilty to wire fraud.
United States District Court Judge Holly A. Brady last week accepted the guilty plea from Katina Miller, the former trustee, to one count of wire fraud. The plea was announced in a U.S. Department of Justice press release Monday.
Brady, of the Northern District of Indiana, will determine Miller’s sentence after considering federal statutes and sentencing guidelines.
Miller had been charged in January with two counts of wire fraud, acting U.S. Attorney Gary T. Bell said in the press release. She pleaded guilty to one count and admitted to “devising a scheme to divert money for her benefit,” the release continued.
Documents filed in connection with the case indicate that Miller embezzled nearly $87,000 in township funds from January 2015 through December 2018. She was accused of using township bank accounts to pay for personal expenses with debit cards, ATM withdrawals and checks payable to herself.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Stacey Speith is the prosecutor for the case, which is a result of an FBI investigation.
Miller, a Democrat, was uncontested for Bearcreek Township Trustee in the 2014 general election, taking office in January 2015. She lost a 2018 primary challenge to Crystal Laux, 48-5. Miller resigned as trustee on Dec. 24, 2018, one week before her term was set to expire, citing “personal circumstance.”
Questions about Miller’s handling of the township’s finances came to light shortly after Laux took office.
And Indiana State Board of Accounts compliance report in February 2019 indicated that Miller failed to file several financial records during her time in office and had not furnished them despite repeated requests.
The state board of accounts said the township’s 2015 annual financial report was never filed and bank statements were missing for December 2017 and January 2018.
It also said Miller did not provide necessary documents to the IRS. It could not determine if withheld payroll taxes were properly paid to the IRS and Indiana Department of Revenue.
And the township’s firefighting fund was overdrawn at the close of 2017.
Other records the state board of accounts said were missing included information about penalties, interest and other charges and applications for township assistance.
United States District Court Judge Holly A. Brady last week accepted the guilty plea from Katina Miller, the former trustee, to one count of wire fraud. The plea was announced in a U.S. Department of Justice press release Monday.
Brady, of the Northern District of Indiana, will determine Miller’s sentence after considering federal statutes and sentencing guidelines.
Miller had been charged in January with two counts of wire fraud, acting U.S. Attorney Gary T. Bell said in the press release. She pleaded guilty to one count and admitted to “devising a scheme to divert money for her benefit,” the release continued.
Documents filed in connection with the case indicate that Miller embezzled nearly $87,000 in township funds from January 2015 through December 2018. She was accused of using township bank accounts to pay for personal expenses with debit cards, ATM withdrawals and checks payable to herself.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Stacey Speith is the prosecutor for the case, which is a result of an FBI investigation.
Miller, a Democrat, was uncontested for Bearcreek Township Trustee in the 2014 general election, taking office in January 2015. She lost a 2018 primary challenge to Crystal Laux, 48-5. Miller resigned as trustee on Dec. 24, 2018, one week before her term was set to expire, citing “personal circumstance.”
Questions about Miller’s handling of the township’s finances came to light shortly after Laux took office.
And Indiana State Board of Accounts compliance report in February 2019 indicated that Miller failed to file several financial records during her time in office and had not furnished them despite repeated requests.
The state board of accounts said the township’s 2015 annual financial report was never filed and bank statements were missing for December 2017 and January 2018.
It also said Miller did not provide necessary documents to the IRS. It could not determine if withheld payroll taxes were properly paid to the IRS and Indiana Department of Revenue.
And the township’s firefighting fund was overdrawn at the close of 2017.
Other records the state board of accounts said were missing included information about penalties, interest and other charges and applications for township assistance.
Top Stories
9/11 NEVER FORGET Mobile Exhibit
Chartwells marketing
September 17, 2024 7:36 a.m.
Events
250 X 250 AD