Photo illustration by Mike Wolanin | The Republic This photos illustration shows an excerpt from a State Board of Accounts report alleging misuse of the Columbus Township credit card by former Columbus Township Trustee Ben Jackson. Jackson is seen on the left side of the illustration.
A special investigation by the Indiana State Board of Accounts has found that former Columbus Township Trustee Ben Jackson amassed more than $1.12 million in personal expenses on a township credit card over an eight-year period.
The expenses — which allegedly included $657,831 for dozens of personal trips across 10 countries, $150,078 in retail purchases, $90,915 in tuition and school expenses for his children, $39,913 for personal utilities, among other things — were detailed in a report released last week by the SBOA.
“The SBOA determined $1,123,334.27 as personal expenses,” the report states. “…The SBOA determined that $657,831.46 of the credit card expenditures was for personal travel. These travel expenses were incurred outside of Columbus, Indiana, and were for travel unrelated to Township business. Furthermore, many of the expenses incurred were for Amy Jackson, spouse of Jackson, and Jackson’s three adult children.”
The report marks the end of the SBOA’s portion of an investigation into Columbus Township’s credit card spending that started last year, officials said. However, the criminal aspect of the investigation by Indiana State Police in coordination with the Bartholomew County Prosecutor’s Office remained ongoing as of Tuesday but was nearing completion.
The investigation was launched in November after the SBOA received information from an anonymous source alleging that then-Trustee Jackson had repeatedly purchased first-class airline tickets for himself, his wife and others, according to the report.
Ben Jackson, for his part, resigned in November amid the investigation after serving in the role since 2013. Jackson could not be reached for comment Tuesday on the SBOA’s report.
Bartholomew County Prosecutor Lindsey Holden-Kay told The Republic on Tuesday that her office has been coordinating for several months with Indiana State Police and the SBOA in their investigation into Jackson — including coordinating interviews, obtaining search warrants and reviewing documents.
“The SBOA completed their portion of the investigation last week, while the criminal aspect of the investigation is nearing its conclusion,” Holden-Kay said. “At this time, the prosecutor’s office is reviewing the reports from the SBOA and ISP, as well as exploring whether these charges are best pursued at the state level or by federal authorities.”
Holden-Kay said she tentatively expects the criminal investigation to be completed in the next couple weeks. Should the Bartholomew County Prosecutor’s Office file criminal charges against Ben Jackson, Holden-Kay said, “we are potentially looking at multiple felonies.”
“That’s what we’re reviewing at this point,” she said.
International trips
The SBOA report documents a wide range of personal expenses — including the dates for 72 trips that were not related to township business — that state auditors alleged Jackson had charged to a township credit card between Dec. 14, 2016, to Nov. 22, 2024.
Six of those trips were overseas, including for hotels, airfare, tours, resorts and other purchases in Australia, Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, Switzerland and the United Arab Emirates, according to the report.
Among those trips, three were to Europe with family members totaling $63,975, including a nearly monthlong, $23,470 trip through Austria, Germany, Italy and Switzerland for himself, his wife and his three children in 2022.
It also includes a similar $21,821 trip through Austria, France, Germany and Italy for himself, his wife and two of his children the following year, and a $18,683 trip to Austria, Germany, Italy and Switzerland for him and his wife last year.
Jackson also allegedly used the township credit card to pay for himself and one of his sons to travel to Germany in 2019 before Jackson set off on his own for a trip to the United Arab Emirates, according to the report. That trip allegedly cost $11,350.
Additionally, Jackson allegedly told the SBOA this past December that “he lied to Township employees that he was a keynote speaker at a homelessness conference in Australia.”
“He confirmed that there was no conference that he attended,” the report states. “When asked, Jackson said he took this trip because he wanted to visit Australia.”
The trip to Australia also allegedly included a stop in Auckland, New Zealand, and cost $11,657, including $5,412 in airfare for himself, according to the report.
Last year, Ben Jackson allegedly spent $6,539 on a five-day trip to Alberta, Canada, for him and his wife that included a stay that the five-star Fairmount Chateau Lake Louise, according to the report.
While it is unclear how much the hotel cost, the hotel’s website on Tuesday was offering rooms for two people for as low as $869 per night this coming weekend.
U.S. trips
Jackson also allegedly took a combined 66 trips to 18 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico — including 11 ski trips in five states that cost a combined $150,759 and six visits to Disney World amounting to $43,239.
He also allegedly bought more than one $925 ticket to the New York Metropolitan Opera House during a $11,519 trip to New York City with one of his sons in 2021. The report also identifies alleged purchases for tickets to see two Broadway productions during two trips to the Big Apple.
Some other travel expenses included in the report were what the SBOA described as a family ski trip to Colorado around New Year’s Eve for $24,559, a $10,217 trip to Austin, Texas, to attend the Formula 1 U.S. Grand Prix in 2021 with one of his sons, a $6,013 trip to Chicago that included a stop at Wrigley Field, among several others.
At least 23 of the 72 trips also allegedly included using the township credit card for family members’ airfare — including $22,036 in airfare for his wife and a combined $46,382 in airfare for their children, the report states.
Other expenses
Beyond travel, some other personal expenses detailed in the report were $150,078 in alleged retail purchases, including $62,798 in e-commerce purchases, $18,547 in clothing, $10,718 in sports, among others.
Additionally, Jackson allegedly used the township credit card to pay $90,915 in tuition or school expenses for his children at DePaul University in Chicago, DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana University, Dancers Studio in Columbus and the Longy School of Music of Bard College in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the report states.
That also includes what the SBOA said appeared to be $22,770 in rent payments in Chicago for one of his children from May 2023 to October 2024.
The SBOA also documented $39,913 in alleged personal utilities payments and other bills with the township credit card — including to Comcast, Verizon Wireless, Duke Energy and Geico — $27,310 in personal vehicle expenditures, $16,487 in personal health expenditures and $18,990 in personal home improvement expenditures — including expenses related to carpeting, plumbing, landscaping, electric work, among others.
Jackson also allegedly charged nearly $8,200 to the township credit card for expenses related to upgrades to his backyard deck, including outdoor furniture sets, outdoor furniture covers, an outdoor dining table, outdoor string lighting, outdoor lighting fixtures, an outdoor stool, LED deck, an adjustable grill and an inflatable hot tub.
The SBOA also found that Jackson allegedly used the township credit card to pay for $2,474 in massages and documented $1,124 in expenditures made to an undisclosed online cannabis vendor that sells “cannabis gummies, cannabis flower, cannabis edibles, cannabis beverages, cannabis pre-rolls, cannabis concentrates, cannabis vapes and cannabis-themed merchandise.”
The report does not specify what type of cannabis products were purchased, if any.
Sam’s Club and other purchases
The SBOA also states in the report that it identified $17,564 in alleged personal purchases on Columbus Township’s Sam’s Club credit card, including, among other things, $6,406 for groceries, $1,708 for medicine, a Honda 7500W Generator, two sets of Goodyear tires, HP Chromebook computer, two mattresses, two Roomba robot vacuums and a couch.
The SBOA also found that an airline ticket was allegedly purchased in 2018 for Columbus Township Deputy Trustee Roxanne Stallworth’s spouse for $1,554 with Jackson’s township credit card.
Stallworth allegedly told the SBOA “that she was told by Jackson that the airfare for this flight was much less than $1,554.58.”
“She stated her spouse would not have attended if she would have known of the price,” the report states. “Stallworth also stated that she had written a reimbursement check for a lesser amount but was not certain of the amount she paid. …The SBOA was unable to locate a personal reimbursement by Stallworth to the Township. A check was not found to be deposited in the Township’s bank account. No receipt was located in the Township’s software system recording a reimbursement by Stallworth.”
During the investigation, the SBOA also identified $8,127 in “questionable” expenses on the township credit card by the township’s fire chief, thought it does not state precisely when those charges were made.
Seeking reimbursement
Currently, it is unclear the extent to which Jackson used the township’s budget to pay the credit card bills or his own funds. His annual compensation between 2016 and 2024 ranged from $46,679 to $62,769 according to the Indiana Gateway for Government Units platform.
Around October 2018, Jackson assumed full responsibility of preparing the credit card payments himself, the report states. Jackson allegedly told the SBOA that “he would receive the credit card statements via mail, prepare the check and mail the check,” the report states.
“He confirmed that he rarely had supporting documentation for his purchases,” the report states. “Jackson confirmed that he would use random budget codes for credit card expenditures when writing checks to the credit card vendor.”
The SBOA, for its part, has asked Jackson, his wife and his children to reimburse the township for the unauthorized personal use of the credit card, as well as $145,929 to reimburse the state for special investigation costs.
“We requested that Jackson reimburse the Township $1,045,335.29 for unauthorized personal use of the township credit card,” the report states. “The SBOA is additionally including a credit towards the unauthorized personal use of the Township credit card totaling $13,533.64 for payments made towards the credit card outside of township funds. …We requested Jackson to reimburse the State of Indiana $145,929.94 for special investigation costs.”
The SBOA also states in the report that it requested that Jackson and his children reimburse the township for tuition and school expenses paid with the township credit card.
The board also requested that Stallworth and Jackson reimburse the township $1,554.58 for the unreimbursed airline ticket purchased for Stallworth’s spouse.
