Lawson, 56, of Gosport, Ind., served as the elected auditor from 2005 to 2015 and as chief deputy auditor January 2013 through August 2014. She also served as an Owen County Council member from January 2013 through December 2014. In her career, Lawson possessed the authority to make public expenditures on behalf of Owen County through a credit card account at ?Wal-Mart.
During her time in office, Lawson had access to separate credit cards, which were issued to various authorized buyers. Over the period from March 1, 2010, through December 31, 2014, Lawson allegedly stole nearly $310,000 and used it to pay personal expenses that included food, alcohol, gift cards, toys, jewelry and vacations.
“The public deserves elected officials whom they can trust to be fiscally responsible and to do the right thing,” Minkler said in a press release from the Indiana Department of Justice. “When that trust is betrayed, it shakes the foundation of our democracy and weakens the effectiveness of our ?government.”
The investigation was a collaborative effort between the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Indiana State Police, Indiana State Board of Accounts and Robert Cline, the special prosecutor assigned to the case. If convicted, Lawson faces up to 10 years on each count, according to Senior Litigation Counsel Bradley Blackington, who is prosecuting this case for the government.
Alleged loss totals for each year include $36,720.18 in 2010, $56,376.03 in 2011, $80,847.03 in 2012, $79,240.51 in 2013 and $56,415.04 in 2014.
Owen County borders Monroe County to the northwest. Its population is ?roughly 21,000.
Hannah Alani
