Indiana sheriff who stole $2 million in local funds to pay for Hooters and fancy cars gets 15 years in prison

CLARK COUNTY, Ind. — A former southern Indiana sheriff and political powerhouse in the state Republican party will spend the next 15 years behind bars after taking a plea deal in a large-scale corruption, theft and fraud case.

Jamey Noel — the former sheriff of Clark County — pled guilty last week to over 25 felony counts of theft, tax evasion, official misconduct, money laundering and more. He was sentenced to 15 years and ordered to pay over $3 million in restitution to local first responder groups.

Vintage cars, Hooters and more

The sentencing is the result of a months-long Indiana State Police corruption probe that revealed Noel ran up over $2 million in personal expenses on a credit card that belonged to local fire and EMS departments he controlled as sheriff from 2015 to 2022.

While sheriff, Noel reportedly used the cards to pay for vacations, concerts, clothes, Rolex watches, cars, food, alcohol, child support, college tuition and more. It’s estimated he bought over 100 cars, including public safety vehicles, a 1930 Ford Roadster, pick-up trucks, and two classic 1970s Plymouth Road Runners.

The investigation also revealed that Noel purchased several military surplus items, outfitted a sheriff’s air fleet and allegedly put taxpayer-subsidized fuel in his private airplane. The former sheriff even charged over $2,500 to a Hooter’s restaurant in Jeffersonville, court records show.

Noel also reportedly utilized county employees to work on his private property and offered to sell those employees public vehicles at reduced prices. This resulted in ghost employment charges being filed against him – all of which were dismissed as part of the plea agreement.

To read the full copy of the plea agreement filed last week, click here .

Plea deal and past accusations

Noel – who was identified in a leaked membership list of a far-right extremist group in 2022 – entered his plea deal last Wednesday in Clark County court. His guilty charges include:

• Theft – Level 5 Felony
  • 15 counts
• Tax Evasion – Level 6 Felony
  • 5 counts
• Official Misconduct – Level 6 Felony
  • 4 counts
• Money Laundering – Level 5 Felony
  • 1 count
• Corrupt Business Influence – Level 5 Felony
  • 1 count
• Obstruction of Justice – Level 6 Felony
  • 1 count

In addition to the 15-year sentence, Noel was ordered to back over $2,870,924 to the Utica Volunteer Firefighters Association, $61,190.77 to the Sheriff’s Department, $173,155.07 to the Dept. of Revenue and $35,245.60 to the State Police. He will also serve three years of probation after his release from prison.

In addition to this case, Noel was named in a 2022 lawsuit where he was accused of poor oversight and inadequate supervision at the local jail. The lawsuit – which claimed female inmates were raped and assaulted by male inmates – accused the sheriff of hiring jail officers without adequately training them.

Wife, daughter charged

Jamey Noel is not the only member of his family who allegedly benefitted from the stolen funds and corrupt business practices. His wife Misty and daughter Kasey face felony theft and fraud charges after also reportedly participating in the scheme.

Court records show Misty was charged in February 2024 with ten counts of theft and tax evasion after investigators discovered she was the CEO and CFO for various businesses associated with Jamey. She reportedly used stolen money and benefitted from the tax evasion and theft. A jury trial in her case is scheduled to begin on Oct. 28.

Meanwhile, Kasey allegedly functioned as the executive assistant at Jamey’s businesses and had access to stolen money. She reportedly charged more than $108,660.59 on an American Express credit card belonging to the Utica Volunteer Fire Department and New Chapel EMS.

The credit card purchases, which allegedly took place between October 2018 and September 2023, included clothing, cosmetics, manicure and pedicure services, food, tickets, trips, alcohol, utilities, vaping products, gas, Netflix and various Amazon orders.

Kasey now faces nine counts of tax evasion and theft in connection to these allegations. A jury trial in her case is scheduled to begin on Oct. 28 as well.

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