More than 10 years after criminal code reform, Indiana piles on new penalties
Meanwhile, Indiana prisons are near or over capacity, and areas of the state face an attorney shortage.
Crime
Articles
11 Eastern Europeans charged in $10.6B Medicare fraud scheme
Prosecutors say the organization bought more than 30 previously legitimate U.S. companies and turned them from lawful businesses into consistent vehicles for fraud.
Second Broad Ripple bar owner charged with underreporting millions in sales
The owner of Rock Lobster and other bars is the second owner charged as a result of an investigation that began with 10 Broad Ripple establishments.
Early-morning shooting injures 3, damages multiple Monument Circle businesses
At least four businesses along the south side of Monument Circle were reportedly damaged in the incident, which occurred just before 2 a.m. Monday.
Owner of Broad Ripple bar charged with underreporting more than $4.5M in sales
John Yaggi also faces a misdemeanor charge related to allegations that he offered an employee higher-paying shifts in exchange for sexual favors.
Investigators deploy new methods to ID Westfield serial killer’s victims
An investigative team in Hamilton County is using new technologies and techniques to identify remains discovered at the former home of suspected serial killer Herb Baumeister.
Police apprehend man waving gun on Circle
IBJ reporters and editors watched the incident from IBJ Media’s third floor office in the AES building in the southeast quadrant of the Circle.
Indy theater’s artistic director no longer with organization after domestic violence accusation
The founding artistic director of the Indianapolis Black Theatre Co. faces a felony charge of strangulation and misdemeanor charges of domestic battery and battery resulting in bodily injury.
Greenwood man pleads guilty, gets 10 years in prison for $3M fraud schemes
James Henley, 35, pleaded guilty to multiple charges in the schemes, including money laundering, aggravated identity theft and wire fraud.
Man accused of stalking Caitlin Clark proclaims himself ‘guilty as charged’ in court appearance
Michael Thomas Lewis, 55, who was charged with felony stalking of the Indiana Fever star behaved “very erratically” in his first court appearance and, at times, appeared to be laughing and joking while noting he had not been taking his medication while jailed or while living in his car.
Texas man charged with stalking Caitlin Clark, arrested in Indianapolis
The 55-year-old man allegedly sent numerous threats and sexually explicit messages to Clark via his social media accounts, including from IP addresses at a hotel and the library in downtown Indianapolis.
Woman sentenced following guilty plea in $1M employer theft case
A former employee of a Greenfield-based contracting business has been sentenced to 30 months in prison on charges that she defrauded her former employer out of more than $1 million.
Former Indiana congressional candidate agrees to plead guilty in campaign finance fraud case
Former Indiana congressional candidate Gabriel ‘Gabe’ Whitley is admitting that he falsified campaign finance records, saying he lied about raising hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions ahead of the May 2024 primary.
Their remains were found decades ago. A new push could identify all of a serial killer’s victims.
Family members, a determined coroner and state researchers are behind a renewed effort to identify all of the unknown dead whose remains are among some 10,000 bones and fragments unearthed on Herbert Baumeister’s suburban Indianapolis property.
FBI now says driver responsible for deadly New Orleans rampage acted alone
Fifteen people were killed in the attack. That number includes the 14 victims killed plus the assailant, Shamsud-Din Jabbar.
Army veteran who killed 15 in New Orleans attack was inspired by Islamic State
The FBI said it did not believe only one person was involved and it was looking into whether the New Orleans attack was connected to a deadly explosion outside a Las Vegas hotel owned by President-elect Donald Trump.
Most Americans blame insurance profits and denials alongside the killer in UHC CEO death, poll finds
In the survey from NORC at the University of Chicago, about 8 in 10 U.S. adults said the person who committed the killing has “a great deal” or “a moderate amount” of responsibility.
Man who revealed weapons at polling site could face charges under new law
Under Senate Enrolled Act 170, threatening, obstructing, interfering with or injuring an election worker can be charged as a Level 6 felony.
Former nursing home CEO included in Biden’s sweeping clemency grant
James Burkhart was chief of Indiana’s largest chain of nursing homes before being indicted on 32 fraud counts in 2016.
Biden commutes roughly 1,500 sentences, pardons 39 people in biggest single-day act of clemency
The outgoing president said he would be taking more steps in the weeks ahead and would continue to review clemency petitions.