COLUMBUS– A state report has revealed that former Columbus Township Trustee Benjamin Jackson allegedly misused more than $1.1 million in taxpayer funds for personal expenses, including lavish trips to Abu Dhabi and Disney World.
The report from the Indiana State Board of Accounts (SBOA), details a pattern of financial misconduct that began as early as 2016 and continued until Jackson’s resignation in November of last year.
According to SBOA investigators, Jackson began using the township credit card for personal expenditures in December 2016, a direct violation of township policy. These personal expenses accounted for a staggering 88% of his office’s total expenses during his tenure.
Approximately half of the embezzled funds were allocated to travel. The report indicates that Jackson used the township credit card for 61 trips between 2018 and 2024, including international excursions to Abu Dhabi and Australia, as well as domestic trips to Steamboat Springs, Colorado, and multiple visits to Disney World. Furthermore, investigators found that Jackson paid for flights to Europe for his three adult children, Anna, Grant, and Isaac.
Beyond travel, the report details Jackson’s alleged purchases of coffee machines, electronics, fishing gear, and even a new backyard deck complete with an inflatable hot tub using township funds. Additionally, nearly $91,000 was reportedly spent to cover his children’s college tuition.
The SBOA investigation also uncovered a significant shift in internal controls in the fall of 2018, when Jackson took over the task of preparing checks for credit card statements from the township’s accounting clerk. Following this change, the personal expenses on the card increased dramatically, rising from approximately $32,000 in 2018 to $138,000 by 2020 and exceeding $200,000 annually in the past two years.
Jackson declined to comment on the allegations through his attorney.
Kris Weisner, who assumed the role of township trustee after Jackson’s resignation, stated that he immediately reviewed the township’s budget upon taking office and confirmed that the alleged misuse of funds did not impact the public assistance fund.
While investigators noted that the township trustee’s office already had internal spending controls in place, including monthly financial reports to the township board and the presence of the township clerk at board meetings, Weisner suspects that either these procedures were not followed or were not thorough enough. He has since implemented more detailed expense reports for the board and a two-party signature requirement for all office expenses, ensuring a “double check on every check that leaves the building.”
SBOA officials have forwarded their report to the Indiana Attorney General’s Office, the Bartholomew County Prosecuting Attorney, and the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. Weisner stated that any efforts by his office to recover the misspent funds are contingent upon whether prosecutors file criminal charges.
