EVANSVILLE — At the heart of the issue is Regene Newman, who previously served as an aide to the Vanderburgh County prosecutor. Courier & Press reporting In U.S. District Court, someone admitted to wire fraud due to controversial spending on at-risk youth by a nonprofit.
The crime carries a potential maximum penalty of up to 20 years in jail, as stated in the court documents submitted for this case. Newman is scheduled to receive her sentencing on July 31, with U.S. District Judge Richard L. Young presiding over the hearing at the federal courthouse in Evansville.
In 2021, Newman departed Prosecutor Nick Hermann's office after being recruited by Judge Wayne Trockman from her position as finance director at the prosecutor’s office to become the business director of community corrections. Newman got dismissed from that position in 2023. .
The agency offers therapeutic programs including substance abuse treatment, financial education courses, electronic surveillance, a GED initiative, and various additional services for individuals who have been convicted.
My Goals Inc., a nonprofit organization aimed at supporting at-risk youth, was launched in 2011 by former Prosecutor Nick Hermann.
The Courier & Press covered In March 2023, bank statements for My Goals revealed over $14,000 from more than 71 ATM and banking transactions. Additionally, substantial amounts were spent on meals from quick-service eateries, apparel for women, hairstyling services, cosmetics, sundries from convenient stores, medications from drugstores, groceries, as well as during shopping trips outside town.
Other dubious charges comprised Liquor Liquor for $89.86; Premier Tan in Darmstadt costing $71.33; and expenditures at DSW Designer Shoe Warehouse in Evansville and high-end Kate Spade Outlet in Edinburgh, Indiana.
From March 2016 to March 2021, the Evansville Teachers Federal Credit Union checking account statements aligned with the time when Newman served as the finance director for the Vanderburgh County Prosecutor's Office. During this same timeframe, she held roles such as being the registered agent and secretary of My Goals, along with having signing authority alongside Hermann to establish an account at what is now known as Liberty Federal Credit Union.
Following Newman's exit, My Goals did not make significant cash withdrawals or spend money on women's apparel stores, beauty shops, trips for shopping outside of town, and other dubious expenses.
This story is evolving and will be updated.
The article was initially published in the Evansville Courier & Press. The former finance director of a prosecutor from Vanderburgh County has pleaded guilty to wire fraud.
