A former reality TV sheriff and volunteer firefighter in Indiana is facing numerous felonies for allegedly stealing at least $5 million in taxpayer money and using it to pay for vacations, luxury cars and even child support. There is.
Jamie Noel, 52, who appeared on the A&E show “60 Days In” in 2016 and 2017, and his family are accused of stealing public funds while serving as both the Clark County Sheriff and the head of local emergency services. suspected of stealing. According to Inside Edition.
He also ordered some of his subordinates to work around his home to coincide with the sheriff’s office hours, according to court documents.
The former sheriff currently faces 15 felony counts of abuse of office, as well as 10 counts of theft and tax evasion.
His wife, Misty, 50, and daughter, Casey, 27, are also accused of charging the Utica Township Firefighters Association’s credit card for expenses such as tanning salons, plastic surgery, e-cigarette products and Netflix subscriptions. , is charged with theft and tax evasion.
Meanwhile, investigators are now investigating whether Noel may have also used public funds to purchase a personal aircraft and $7 million worth of military surplus equipment purchased by the sheriff’s office during his tenure. We are investigating what he did with the tools.
Special Counsel Richard Hoeffel told Inside Edition that “the pace of this investigation has not slowed down at all since it began,” adding, “We don’t even know if there’s an end in sight.”
“The possibility of additional charges against Jamie is real,” he added.
State investigators began investigating Noel’s finances last year after his successor, Sheriff Scotty Maples, discovered a hidden wiretapping device in the deputy chief’s office that was “directly connected” to Noel’s office.
Maples ordered a complete review of the department, which he said revealed “further disturbing information.” said in the post After Noel was arrested in November.
He said he quickly discovered that Noel had “directed several Clark County Sheriff’s Office personnel to perform maintenance and work on Noel’s personal, investment and business properties.”
“These employees were instructed to perform this work while being paid for the Clark County Sheriff’s Office.”
Additionally, Maples said he discovered documents that had been altered and forged to award pension benefits to a lawmaker who was ineligible for them, and who happened to be a member of Noel’s family.
Investigators later identified the former deputy as Noel’s brother-in-law, Bradley Kramer, according to Inside Edition.
The paper notes that Kramer has not been charged in the investigation.
As part of a subsequent investigation, state police said it was determined that Noel had been using a Utica Township Volunteer Firefighters Association credit card for travel and luxury clothing.
From 2018 to 2019, Noel spent $200,000 on Marriott vacation programs billed to American Express for the Firefighters Association, and in 2019, Noel and his wife spent $200,000 on Marriott vacation programs billed to American Express for the Firefighters Association. He allegedly took out more than $83,000 in loans and made monthly payments from a nonprofit organization account. Louisville Public Media reported.
More than $100,000 from the fund went toward her daughter’s college tuition and other educational expenses, and another $56,000 went toward a cigar store where Noel was a known regular customer. According to WHAS.
Other expenses included a Tom James suit and Ferragamo shoes seized from his home, as well as more than 130 luxury cars, including a Corvette, Cadillac and a 1959 Chevrolet Bel Air, which were sold. It is suspected that he pocketed the money.
Noel is also said to have personally used money from the prison’s administrative fund.
In one case, he allegedly purchased a Bluebird bus for $12,000 with commissary funds and gave ownership to a volunteer fire department. Louisville Public Media reported.
Then, days before his second term ends in 2022, he transferred it to the sheriff’s office and sold it to the department for $5,900. This is a $6,100 loss to the county.
Additionally, nearly $1,400 in prison funds is said to have been used to purchase a 75-inch television for his home.
The state later ordered Noel to repay more than $918,000 to the prison commissary, according to Inside Edition.
Inside Edition reports that other court documents accuse Noel of having an affair with a Clark County councilman, and that the councilman gave birth to her child.
He then allegedly used funds from the Volunteer Fire Department Association to pay court-ordered child support.
State investigators are currently investigating whether Noel used Fire Department funds to purchase a $25,000 1958 Cessna in 2022.
The plane’s registration listed Noel as the owner in 2022, but it was registered with the fire department a year later, Inside Edition reports.
They are also investigating more than 20 shipping containers, forklifts and even a train on private property.
They believe all of this equipment was purchased by the Sheriff’s Department under Noel’s supervision.
Noel and his family have pleaded not guilty to the charges against him and he is currently out on bail.
His case is scheduled to go to trial later this year.
The newspaper has contacted lawyers for each family for comment.
