Former Starke County Jail Matron Pleads Guilty to Wire Fraud

A judge's gavel and law books are seen in a courtroom. — Source: BrianAJackson/Getty Images

STARKE COUNTY, Ind.–A former jail matron at the Starke County Jail pled guilty to wire fraud this week.

Court documents say that when 41-year-old Pamela McDonald worked as the jail matron at the jail, she devised a scheme to unjustly enrich herself by depositing commisary funds into her personal Paypal account and then disguising the transfers as payments for legitimate invoices.

“Between August 15, 2022, and May 15, 2023, McDonald made at least 19 unauthorized withdrawals and pocketed at least $20,621.85 that she was not entitled to receive. She also used a Starke County debit card to purchase a video gaming chair, a memory foam mattress, and a full-size bed frame for her home totaling $658.57, resulting in a total loss to Starke County of $21,280.42,” said the Department of Justice in a Friday news release.

She was sentenced to one year of probation and ordered to pay back all of the $21,280.42.

“McDonald was supposed to be a public servant in her role at the Starke County Jail, but she chose to use her position of trust to line her own pockets,” said Timothy J. O’Malley, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Indianapolis Office. “The FBI and its law enforcement partners will continue to investigate all public officials who use their positions for personal gain.”

U.S. Attorney Adam Mildred said this is a reminder that justice is blind.

“Fraud is a serious crime warranting a serious response, no matter the identity of the victim. In some ways, her level of corruption is even more troubling because she acted while filling a position of authority in the community,” said Mildred.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Indiana State Police Organized Crime and Public Corruption Unit, the Indiana State Board of Accounts, and the Starke County Prosecutor’s Office. It was prosecuted as part of the Northern District of Indiana’s Small County Outreach Program, which aims to bring federal law enforcement resources to bear in rural counties throughout the Northern District of Indiana. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jerome W. McKeever.