Business owner accused of bilking investors in tech startup scam
Indianapolis resident David Betner has been charged by the Marion County prosecutor with multiple felonies related to his business enterprise, Darepoint.
Theft
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COA affirms conviction over jury lunchtime instruction challenge
If there are no intervening proceedings between the reading of preliminary instructions and a jury being excused for lunch, trial courts are not required to give admonishments required under Indiana Code Section 35-27-2-4(a) more than once, the Indiana Court of Appeals affirmed.
Evidence supports convictions in Evansville auto-theft case
Auto-theft convictions have been upheld for a man who unsuccessfully argued that a vehicle he stole didn’t belong to its rightful owner. The man also failed to convince the Indiana Court of Appeals that the vehicle was worth less than the amount he was ordered to pay in restitution.
Authorities: Man steals from home, returns asking to rent it
Authorities say a homeless man stole handguns, tools, cash and jewelry from an Anderson home and then returned to ask the owner about renting the property.
Burglary conviction stands against cross-examination appeal
The burglary conviction of a South Bend man who broke into his brother-in-law’s bar where he once had worked and wrote out a check to a third party was affirmed Wednesday. The burglar argued on appeal that he had wrongly been denied an opportunity to cross-examine the third party about his criminal past.
Lawyer suspended for alleged trust thefts faces new charges
A suspended lawyer already accused in three counties of stealing money from ex-clients’ special needs trusts has been charged in Indianapolis with allegedly stealing from another victim. The latest charges against Kenneth Shane Service include a count of racketeering.
COA remands case to clarify who should set sliding scale fees
The Indiana Court of Appeals has remanded a case after finding no clarification from the trial court as to whether Marion County Community Corrections was intended to evaluate a man on a sliding scale of fees for his home detention costs.
Hendricks Judge Freese suspended 45 days over friend’s estate theft
Hendricks Superior Judge Robert W. Freese has been suspended from judicial office without pay for 45 days after appointing a friend as a trustee of an estate case he was presiding over and failing to take action when the friend did not fulfill his duties, resulting in a “massive theft.”
Man who sold rental mower loses appeal over Hamilton County venue
A lawn mower thief failed to convince an appellate court that Hamilton County was an improper venue for his case because the theft did not actually occur until the mower’s signed rental agreement expired one day later in another county.
Restitution affirmed in Vigo school district kickback scheme
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has affirmed a restitution calculation in the case of a former Vigo County School Corporation employee who received a share of more than $110,000 in kickbacks after steering government contracts to a favored bidder.
Federal court ruling continues religious broadcaster’s family feud
Two “warring cousins” who each claim to be the rightful heir to the South Bend-based LeSEA Christian broadcasting network will continue to slug it out after a federal judge largely denied one cousin’s motion to dismiss.
Officers use OnStar to disable stolen SUV, recapture inmate
The Marion County Sheriff’s Department says it used OnStar technology to track down and disable a stolen vehicle and recapture a jail inmate who escaped custody about an hour earlier Wednesday morning.
Hill seeking $183K after ex-Whiteland fire official’s theft
Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill is seeking more than $180,000 in restitution from the former secretary-treasurer of the Whiteland Volunteer Fire Department after she pleaded guilty to misappropriating public funds for personal use.
COA affirms civil suit rulings against ex-insurer convicted of theft
A formerly licensed insurer investigated and convicted of felony theft failed to convince an appellate panel that judgment was erroneously granted to the Indiana State Department of Insurance and a Putnam County prosecutor on the pleadings of his suit against them.
Holcomb sent bill allowing pension restitution for stolen public funds
A bill that would allow taxpayers to recoup stolen funds from public officials’ pensions has received a few tweaks, but the bill’s chief aim has remained untouched.
Despite snoozing juror, meth, theft convictions affirmed
Convictions for a man who attempted to make meth were upheld by an Indiana Court of Appeals panel Wednesday after it concluded no abuse of discretion occurred when a sleeping juror in his case was replaced, and that his argument for a new trial was waived.
Theft of public funds bill awaits Holcomb’s signature
Communities seeking restitution from public servants who personally profited from taxpayer dollars might have a new way to recoup stolen funds.
Appellate court reduces theft restitution by more than $62K
A man who stole nearly $100,000 from his Ripley County employer will only have to pay about $36,000 in restitution after the Indiana Court of Appeals determined the trial court erred in ordering the man to pay back the full amount. But the court also upheld the man’s 15-year theft sentence, finding it was not inappropriate.
Bill targeting money stolen by public servants advances
Hoosiers impacted by the theft of money at the hands of public servants could find some relief if a bill that would allow them to dip into thieves’ public pension funds passes the Indiana Senate’s scrutiny.
Hobart ex-funeral home treasurer gets probation for misused funds
A former treasurer of a defunct northwestern Indiana funeral home who allegedly misused funds set aside for customers’ funerals has been placed on probation for a year and ordered to pay more than $15,000 in restitution. Jacqueline A. Kraft, 68, pleaded guilty Wednesday to one felony count of theft and was sentenced to a year in jail, but that sentence was suspended.