DUBOIS CO. — A former executive director of a Dubois County nonprofit organization has been sentenced to one year and nine months in federal prison after pleading guilty to five counts of wire fraud. Ellen L. Corn, 50, of Petersburg, was also ordered to pay $121,439.72 in restitution, according to court documents.
Corn served as the executive director from March 2017 to August 2022. During this period, she stole a total of $161,344.85 through various methods, including using the organization’s credit card for personal expenses at businesses such as Amazon, Target, and Walmart, as well as for tuition payments for her children. She also made unauthorized transfers from the nonprofit’s PayPal account to her personal account and made unauthorized purchases directly from the organization’s checking account.
To conceal the fraud, Corn reportedly omitted the unauthorized transactions from the nonprofit’s accounting records, which she regularly presented to the Board of Directors. The organization offers a youth mentoring program and provides college scholarships to local high school students.
U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, Tom Wheeler, stated that Corn “abused her position of trust and stole from an organization dedicated to serving and mentoring local youth.” He added that the sentence “demonstrates our commitment to protecting community nonprofits from fraud and financial exploitation.”
The U.S. Secret Service and the Jasper Police Department investigated the case.
