Indiana woman gets a year in prison for stealing $150,000 in donations from Jasper healthcare nonprofit

JASPER, Ind. — A southern Indiana woman will spend the next year in federal prison after pleading guilty to stealing over $150,000 from a local healthcare nonprofit.

Michele M. Rose, 62, of Jasper, was sentenced this week to 366 days in federal prison and a year of supervised release after previously pleading guilty to five counts of wire fraud. She was also ordered to pay $153,769 in restitution.

Court documents detail how Rose was a Medical Staff Coordinator at a nonprofit healthcare group in Dubois County since from 1991 to 2020. Rose reportedly oversaw a staff checking account that helped fund community events and provide for locals in need.

“The medical staff checking account was funded through dues paid by physicians,” docs show. “The money contributed by the doctors was then donated to fund community initiatives including scholarships, food banks, and humane societies, as well as sponsoring events for local students such as after-prom celebrations, with a small portion used for operating expenses.”

US Secret Service officials said that between March 2011 and December 2020, Rose abused her role at the nonprofit by writing fraudulent checks to herself from the staff checking account and reporting that the money reimbursed legit expenses.

In reality, documents detail how Rose would then cash the checks and use the money for personal living expenses. She reportedly would lie to her superiors to get signatures on blank checks that amounted to $153,769 over nine years.

U.S. District Attorney Zachary Myers said in a release Thursday that if Rose had not stolen the money, it would have been donated to the local community instead.

“For nearly a decade, this woman stole from community-minded professionals who trusted her, lining her pockets at the expense of the Jasper community groups the doctors intended to support,” Myers said.

The case against Rose was investigated by both the U.S. Secret Service and the Jasper Police Department. Her sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Richard L. Young.

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