Katie M. Tristan, 41, of Cedar Lake, has been sentenced to 15 months in prison for bank fraud after pleading guilty to embezzling over $107,000 from parent-teacher organizations (PTOs) at two local elementary schools. United States District Court Judge Gretchen S. Lund also ordered Tristan to serve two years of supervised release and pay $125,157.67 in restitution, which was paid in full at sentencing.
Between October 2020 and June 2023, Tristan, while holding leadership positions in the PTOs, used their debit cards for personal expenses including car rentals, travel, entertainment, utility payments, and retail shopping. After exhausting the PTOs’ funds, she engaged in fraudulent check transactions to falsely inflate bank account balances and prolong her scheme.
When school administrators and the Cedar Lake Police Department began investigating the missing funds, Tristan actively obstructed their efforts. She forged bank documents and created fake email accounts to impersonate other PTO volunteers and even a Cedar Lake Police detective, manipulating communications with a key witness.
U.S. Attorney Adam L. Mildred said, "By stealing from her parent-teacher organization (PTO), Katie Tristan stole from the children that she had supposedly volunteered to help." He added that the money meant for education and growth was diverted for personal wants. Timothy J. O’Malley, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Indianapolis Office, noted that Tristan "violated the trust the community placed in her."
The restitution includes $123,192.22 designated for the Hanover Community School District. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Cedar Lake Police Department, with Assistant United States Attorney Zachary D. Heater prosecuting.