Federal district court in Hammond
Another Genesis Center employee faces theft charges
Contributed By:The 411 News
Feds say former convention center executive director stole $16,000
Deborah Black, age 62, of Merrillville, Indiana, was charged by Information with one count of theft from a local government entity receiving federal funds, announced U.S. Attorney Kirsch.
According to the Information, between November 2016 and August 2017, Black was employed as the Executive Director of the Genesis Convention Center, a venue owned by the City of Gary, Indiana. The Information alleges that during this time, Black used her position to steal over $10,000 in cash from the Genesis Center.
The parties have entered into a plea agreement to resolve the criminal charge. Under this signed plea agreement, if accepted by the court, Black would be required to pay $16,421.80 in restitution to the City of Gary.
U.S. Attorney Kirsch said, “My office will continue to aggressively prosecute instances of public corruption. Public officials are not above the law. I encourage anyone with information regarding official corruption to contact my office or the FBI”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office recently charged Victoria Wilson, Black’s coworker at the Genesis Center, with one count of theft from a local government entity for stealing money from the Genesis Center. Wilson entered a formal plea of guilty to her charge on September 17 and is awaiting sentencing. In her plea agreement, Wilson agreed to pay $12,727 in restitution to the City of Gary.
Wilson was employed by the Genesis Convention Center from February 2017 through February 2018. She was hired as a bookkeeper and later became interim executive director, following Black. Wilson’s thefts occurred between March and October 2017.
Story Posted:11/09/2019
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