The financial activities of Vanderburgh County Community Corrections and the nonprofit organization My Goals Inc. are currently under scrutiny by the FBI, according to Sheriff Noah Robinson. This development follows the termination of Regene Newman, a former aide to prosecutor Nick Hermann, regarding questionable expenses related to My Goals, which has since been dissolved.
Newman, who held the position of business director of community corrections, was responsible for managing the financial affairs of the program, which offers various services to defendants, including drug and alcohol treatment, financial literacy classes, electronic monitoring, a GED program, and more. She oversaw the program’s approximately $3 million budget, including grants.
In the wake of Newman’s dismissal, Sheriff Robinson and Superior Court Judge Wayne Trockman, who serves as the supervising judge for community corrections, announced their decision to commission a forensic audit of the agency’s finances. They expressed confidence in the audits conducted annually by the Indiana Department of Correction, which had previously found no issues.
However, Sheriff Robinson recently revealed that the FBI is now involved in the investigations. “While we had considered hiring an external audit firm, the FBI offered to conduct the audit of community corrections alongside their ongoing investigation of My Goals,” stated the sheriff.
This statement by Sheriff Robinson marks the first official confirmation of the FBI’s involvement in either case. Previously, an FBI spokesperson had declined to comment on the My Goals investigation, adhering to the agency’s standard policy of neither confirming nor denying ongoing investigations.
In March, Judge Trockman stated that he had no personal knowledge of an FBI investigation into My Goals’ spending, which Evansville Police Chief Billy Bolin had suggested might have been initiated by his department. Deputy Prosecutor Kevin McDaniel had sought guidance from the EPD regarding suspected financial misconduct involving My Goals. A police investigator reportedly directed McDaniel to reach out to the FBI.
Judge Trockman acknowledged in March that he had been informed by other sources about the FBI investigation into My Goals’ activities.
Questionable expenses included numerous ATM withdrawals totaling over $14,000, as well as purchases at various establishments such as fast food restaurants, women’s clothing stores, hair salons, beauty retailers, convenience stores, pharmacies, supermarkets, and out-of-town shopping sprees.
Among the specific transactions were charges at Liquor Liquor amounting to $89.86, a payment of $71.33 to Premiere Tan in Darmstadt, as well as purchases made at DSW Designer Shoe Warehouse in Evansville and the high-end Kate Spade Outlet in Edinburgh, Indiana.
The examined bank statements cover the period from March 2016 to March 2021, corresponding to Newman’s tenure as finance director for the Vanderburgh County Prosecutor’s Office. Additionally, Newman served as My Goals’ registered agent and secretary, and alongside then-Prosecutor Nick Hermann, she was a signatory to open the checking account at the Evansville Teachers Federal Credit Union, now known as Liberty Federal Credit Union.
Further fueling the controversy surrounding these questionable expenses is the fact that in March 2021, Newman testified under oath about her belief in the claims made by a former employee regarding Nick Hermann’s behavior in a hotel room during a Chicago conference in 2013.
These allegations were part of a lawsuit filed by Samantha Merideth in 2020, which included accusations of sexual harassment, sexual battery, retaliation, wrongful termination, and other charges. Merideth claimed that Hermann handcuffed her, brandished a firearm, made unwelcome advances, and physically restrained her to prevent her from leaving the room.
This story originally appeared in the Evansville Courier and Press by Thomas Langhorne on July 7th, 2023. Portions of this article were generated using artificial intelligence.
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