Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowIndiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller is suing former Owen County Auditor Angie M. Lawson to recover more than $380,000 in embezzled taxpayer funds. Lawson also faces criminal charges stemming from the same theft of public funds.
The lawsuit was filed Monday in Owen Circuit Court 2 and seeks repayment of $386,409.44 – the amount of money an audit discovered that Lawson had misappropriated from the county between 2001 and 2014. The AG’s office is also asking for nearly $100,000 to reimburse the State Board of Accounts for investigative costs related to the audit.
The lawsuit alleges that Lawson used county government credit cards to make nearly $350,000 in personal purchases between 2009 and 2014. Lawson was the elected county auditor from 2005 to 2012 and served as an appointed deputy auditor after her second term expired.
Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana Josh Minkler announced Feb. 13 that Lawson had been indicted on five counts of theft concerning programs receiving federal funding. If convicted, Lawson faces up to 10 years on each count.
The attorney general’s office is also suing Western Surety Co. in order to redeem surety bonds that covered Lawson. Anything that is not covered by the bond or insurance will be Lawson’s personal responsibility to pay.
Please enable JavaScript to view this content.