The former chief financial officer for Center Township in Indianapolis, Alan Mizen of Zionsville, was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment May 1 by U.S. District Judge Sarah Evans Barker after his conviction for theft of federal program funds.
“The citizens of Marion County deserve better from their public officials,” U.S. Attorney Josh J. Minkler said in a press release. “I hope this sends a loud and strong message to anyone who abuses the public trust in Indiana. The U.S. Attorney’s Office will you hold you strictly accountable.”
In June 2010, Mizen set up an account with PNC Bank and deposited a check for more than $343,000 that was drawn from public funds. Mizen then used the computerized accounting system at the Center Township Trustee’s Office to create a false invoice indicating that he had written the check to the “Treasurer of State.”
Mizen then transferred the funds to various personal accounts that he maintained. From these personal accounts, he used more than $200,000 towards the purchase of a residence in Zionsville, the purchase of a Toyota Tacoma pickup truck, the funding of his child’s college education, personal vacations, the purchase a diamond necklace and diamond ring for $8,900 during a trip to the Cayman Islands and made other consumer purchases. Mizen used embezzled taxpayer funds to finance these personal expenditures from June 2010, through July 2012.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Indiana State Board of Accounts and Internal Revenue Service worked together on the case.
According to Senior Litigation Counsel Bradley A. Blackington, who prosecuted the case for the government, Mizen was ordered to pay $343,000 in restitution. This restitution will be paid in full from funds in the accounts maintained by Mizen that were frozen by the government as part of the investigation.
