INDIANAPOLIS — A former Indianapolis bond bank employee was sentenced to 545 days in the Indiana Department of Correction and ordered to pay restitution of almost $350,000 to her former employer after admitting theft, according to Marion County Prosecutor Terry Curry.
Jacqueline Fitzgerald plead guilty to two counts of Theft on Tuesday (Level 5 felonies) and admitted to stealing funds from the Indianapolis Local Improvement Bond Bank. She has agreed to pay the bond bank a total of $340,791.61.
Findings as a result of a 2017 investigation by the Marion County Prosecutor's Grand Jury Division found Fitzgerald had enrolled her grandchildren on her employer-provided health insurance. Since Fitzgerald was not the kids' legal guardian, the coverage was against the corporation's policy.
Fitzgerald — an Indianapolis Local Improvement Bond Bank employee since 2000 — was terminated in June 2017.
Fitzgerald was responsible for employee payroll, benefit leave, health insurance, and retirement benefits, a roll that paid an annual salary of about $57,523. After her termination, another employee was given Fitzgerald's duties, in which the employee found that Fitzgerald was paid $170,000 during her last 12 months of employment at the local bond bank.
In October of last year, 15 Indiana officials across the state were charged for public corruption for alleged government losses totaling more than $1 million.
At that time, both Fitzgerald and her co-worker, Monica Durrett, were accused of stealing about $400,000 from the local bond bank. Durrett was charged with five counts of Theft, four of which were Level 6 Felonies, and one count of Insurance Fraud.
Durrett's case is still pending at this time. A final pretrial conference is set for Wednesday, Sept. 11.
