2 former Plainfield correctional officers charged with theft, official misconduct

PLAINFIELD, Ind. -- Two former correctional officers at the Plainfield Correctional Facility are facing felony counts of official misconduct and fraud.




According to court documents obtained by FOX59/CBS4, Sandra Vargas and Jacob Kauth have been preliminarily charged with theft, official misconduct and fraud. All of the charges are level 6 felonies.




The Indiana Department of Correction confirmed that Vargas was hired on Jan. 30, 2023, while Kauth began his employment at IDOC on March 5, 2018, before he was also dismissed on June 18, 2024. Both Vargas and Kauth had their employment terminated on June 18, 2024.




During his employment with the IDOC, Kauth served as a correctional officer, correctional sergeant and corrections lieutenant.




The Indiana Office of the Inspector General began investigating Vargas and Kauth on Nov. 20, 2024, after an internal DOC audit determined that Vargas was paid for several shifts that she allegedly did not work between March 18 and May 19, 2024. The shifts combined a total of 98 hours, meaning Vargas allegedly received a total of $3,163.90.




The audit revealed that Vargas allegedly failed to produce any time slips and that video surveillance did not identify her inside the building on any of those listed dates. An additional review of records allegedly revealed that Krauth approved overtime hours that Vargas did not work.




Kauth and Vargas were allegedly involved in a romantic relationship that began around April of 2023, according to the OIG.




During an interview with OIG, Kauth allegedly admitted that he entered time slips for hours that Vargas never worked "in order to help Vargas and ease the additional financial burden" after stating that his expenses increased shortly after she moved in with him in July 2023.




Vargas also allegedly told investigators that she was aware that Kauth had falsely added additional time to her pay stubs, court documents revealed. She went on to state that she reportedly returned some of the extra money to Kauth and used the rest to purchase groceries, household items and pet supplies.




"Even though she knew she was receiving monies to which she was not entitled and for hours she did not actually work, Vargas did not report the overpayments to DOC administration because she did not want Kauth to get in trouble," court documents read.




Investigators allege that Vargas never attempted to repay the stolen funds to the state or contact any of her supervisors about how to return them.




Online court records indicate that arrest warrants were issued on May 1 for Vargas and Kauth out of Hendricks Superior Court 4. As of this article's publication, IDOC has not returned FOX59/CBS4's request for comment.





via: https://fox59.com/news/2-former-plainfield-correctional-officers-charged-with-theft-official-misconduct/