Guilty plea entered in massive IN fraud investigation

August 26, 2024 Vaseline blog 0

Guilty plea entered in massive IN fraud investigation

Former Clark County, Indiana Sheriff Jamey Noel pleaded guilty to 27 of 31 charges in court Monday as part of a plea deal, nine months after he originally pleaded not guilty to 15 charges, including theft and official misconduct.

The state, using findings from an Indiana State Police investigation, alleged Noel used funding from a volunteer fire department and emergency medical services provider, which he ran at the time, to purchase personal items. Noel was also accused of tasking county employees with jobs related to his personal collection of classic cars.

Noel had four charges of ghost employment dismissed Monday. He could face up to 15 years in prison, followed by three years of probation.

Noel posted a $75,000 bond in November, but has been held in the Scott County jail since April after Special Judge Larry Medlock raised his bond to $1.5 million. He was also later found to be in contempt of court for violating a term of his original bond, but that ruling did not impact his bond.

Noel’s wife, Misty, and daughter, Kasey, face charges of theft and tax evasion. They have both pleaded not guilty and are awaiting trial.

Clark County councilperson John Miller and former councilperson Brittney Ferree are also facing charges in relation to the case. Both are accused of voting in favor of funding appropriations for the fire and EMS service while they received personnel benefits paid for by the service’s funds.

Noel also faces a number of civil lawsuits. Notably, Indiana’s attorney general sued him in an effort to get him to repay the fire and EMS service, known as New Chapel EMS, for the funds he allegedly used to buy personal items. The children of Noel’s brother, Leon Noel, are also seeking compensation, accusing their uncle of shortening their inheritance, based on records from the Indiana State Police investigation.

This story will be updated.