Former Southern Indiana youth group leader accused of wire fraud

Jon Webb, Evansville Courier & Press
·2 min read

DUBOIS COUNTY, Ind. – The former director of a Southern Indiana youth organization has been indicted on embezzlement charges after federal officials said she used the nonprofit's credit card for more than $150,000 worth of personal expenses.

Ellen L. Corn, 47, of Petersburg, Indiana, faces 15 counts of wire fraud. According to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Corn is accused of embezzling $156,000 over five years from Mentors for Youth, formerly Big Brothers Big Sisters, in Dubois County.

If convicted, she could face up to 20 years in prison. The purchases reportedly took place between March 2017 and August 2022, when Corn stepped down. She has pleaded not guilty.

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"She attempted to conceal her unauthorized purchases by not entering them into the accounting software," a news release states. "Corn allegedly used the organization’s credit card to purchase goods and services from various businesses, including Amazon, Target, Walmart, and to make payments to colleges."

In a statement, Mentors for Youth Executive Director Erin Kidwell said that since finding out about the alleged improprieties, the organization has "worked hard to make substantive changes to ensure our policies and procedures will prevent this from occurring in the future."

"While our work in serving at-risk children was never compromised, we are genuinely sorry for any distress this may have caused," Kidwell said.

According to its website, the Jasper-based group takes kids between the ages of 6 and 14 who may not have a "naturally occurring mentor" in their life and matches them with adult volunteers.

According to Dubois County Herald archives, Corn took over as director in March 2017. She made her first appearance in U.S. District Court on Monday.

The indictment, which was also unsealed Monday, claims she used Mentors For Youth's credit card for "personal expenses without authorization," and then turned around and used the organization's checking account to pay off those expenses. She's also accused of using the organization's credit card to buy things through her personal PayPal account.

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Former Southern Indiana youth group leader accused of wire fraud