Pamela McDonald, a 41-year-old Knox woman, has been sentenced to 12 months of probation and ordered to pay $21,280.42 in restitution after pleading guilty to wire fraud.
McDonald, who served as the “jail matron” at the Starke County Jail, orchestrated a scheme between August 2022 and May 2023. She illicitly transferred jail commissary funds into her personal PayPal account, disguising these transactions as payments for legitimate invoices. Additionally, she used a Starke County debit card for personal purchases, including a video gaming chair and bedding, contributing to the total loss.
U.S. Attorney Adam L. Mildred condemned McDonald's actions, stating, "She took advantage of that trust to steal over $20,000 from the jail and the prisoners, presuming that no one would care about them." Timothy J. O’Malley, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Indianapolis Office, added, "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."
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Indiana State Police, the Indiana State Board of Accounts, and the Starke County Prosecutor’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jerome W. McKeever as part of the Northern District of Indiana’s Small County Outreach Program, which aims to bring federal law enforcement resources to rural counties.