Former Pigeon Township Trustee Mariama Wilson and her co-conspirator Terrance Hardiman were recently sentenced in a kickback scheme that swindled local taxpayers out of $38,000. As reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Indiana, Wilson received three years of probation after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, while Hardiman was sentenced to serve six months in federal prison followed by two years of supervised release.
Hardiman's charges encompassed money laundering and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. He was also required to jointly pay $38,000 in restitution with Wilson. According to court documents, from February 2020 until May 2022, inflated invoices were submitted for community projects in Vanderburgh County, Indiana—including a homeless shelter and a food pantry—intending to covertly channel taxpayer dollars into the pockets of Wilson, Hardiman, and another defendant, William Payne, who has yet to be sentenced.
The Pigeon Township Trustee's Office, where Wilson was once at the helm, is a civic body committed to providing emergency financial assistance to those in crisis. This fraudulent scheme was a severe breach of that commitment. U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Myers emphasized in a statement obtained by the U.S. Attorney's Office, "Large or small, kickback schemes like the one carried out by Ms. Wilson and the other defendants damage public’s confidence in government." Myers further stressed that this case should serve as a message to "all bad actors" who loot public coffers for personal gain.
Federal agencies including the FBI, IRS-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), and state and local law enforcement cooperatively investigated the case, which resulted in the convictions. Adding to the chorus of official disapproval, FBI Special Agent in Charge Herbert J. Stapleton underscored the betrayal, stating, "The defendants prioritized their greed over the interests of the citizens they were supposed to serve." The gravity of the officials' malfeasance was likewise underscored by IRS-CI Special Agent in Charge Justin Campbell, who declared, "We should all expect our public officials to act with integrity," according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Vanderburgh County Sheriff Noah Robinson praised citizens willing to report corruption, acknowledging that without their vigilance, such betrayal might have remained shielded from justice. The case's prosecution was led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew B. Miller, with the sentences bestowed by U.S. District Judge Matthew P. Brookman. These legal proceedings evidenced a united stance against the misuse of authority and public resources, a stance that is crucial to maintaining the public trust that underpins all government action.
