Former Dubois County Non-Profit Executive Director Facing Federal Charges

Dubois Co.- The former director of Mentors for Youth is facing federal fraud charges. 

Ellen Corn, 47, was arrested after federal prosecutors say she embezzled over $156,000 from the non-profit organization. Corn served as the Executive Director of Mentors for Youth-Dubois County from March 2017 through August 2022. Over that five year period, investigators say she embezzled the funds for personal use.

According to a release from the US Department of Justice, Corn used the organization’s credit card without authorization. The card was used to pay for college and at Walmart. She also used the card electronically to purchase goods and services at various other businesses. She’s also accused of using the group’s PayPal account for her personal PayPal. Officials say she tried to conceal her actions by not reporting the expenses to the accounting software. 

Mentors for Youth-Dubois County released the following statement:

"For 35 years, Mentors for Youth, formerly Big Brothers Big Sisters, has served a vital purpose in Dubois County. Our mission to facilitate relationships between local youth and caring adults has positively impacted innumerable individuals in this community. As we process the news of the arrest of our former director (Corn), we remain focused on this mission. Though deeply saddened by the actions of this individual, we are grateful for the members of both our local and federal law enforcement for their time and dedication to this investigation. We are also incredibly thankful for all the local partner organizations and community members that assisted us in becoming a stronger agency. Since uncovering this issue, we have worked hard to make substantive changes to ensure our policies and procedures will prevent this from occurring in the future. While our work in serving at-risk children was never compromised, we are genuinely sorry for any distress this may have caused. We will live up to our organization’s mission by ensuring transparency, accountability, and integrity. As we move forward, we are determined to support more youth in our community. Thank you for your steadfast support of our mission."  

Corn was indicted on the charges on Monday. If convicted, she faces 20 years in federal prison for fraud.