Ben Shoulders, a name once associated with public service and leadership, is now making headlines for all the wrong reasons. The former Vanderburgh County Commissioner finds himself in hot water over accusations of misappropriating campaign funds in the most unexpected way – by splurging on rare and pricey baseball cards.
In a shocking turn of events, a probable cause affidavit presented in Vanderburgh Circuit Court has laid bare Shoulders’ alleged misuse of over $41,000 from his “Shoulders for Commissioner” account. The damning evidence points to a series of transactions made on eBay, where Shoulders, it is claimed, stealthily acquired high-value baseball cards under the guise of innocuous campaign expenses.
Among the eyebrow-raising acquisitions were a rookie Johnny Bench card worth $235 and a Satchel Paige card valued at $570, deceptively disguised as generic items like “signs” and “banner” in his financial disclosures. While the majority of Shoulders’ reported disbursements appeared legitimate, it was the peculiar entries for baseball cards and a puzzling $500 splurge on Pokémon cards, cleverly labeled as “signs” from a local store, that sparked the interest of investigators.
The investigation was kickstarted by an unexpected source – Shoulders himself. In a peculiar twist, the former commissioner reached out to the Evansville Police Department in October 2023, alleging fraudulent activities on his campaign account. Claiming to have lost his debit card months prior and professing ignorance about unauthorized charges, Shoulders painted a picture of victimhood. However, the unveiled evidence painted a different story altogether.
A closer scrutiny of email correspondences unearthed a trail of incriminating eBay orders for coveted baseball cards, including prized possessions like the 1965 and 1967 Mickey Mantle cards and a 1966 Willie Mays card, all conveniently directed to Shoulders’ residence and reportedly charged to his campaign coffers.
More damning revelations emerged as records exposed Shoulders’ audacious attempt to recoup over $26,000 from Old National Bank’s fraud department for the alleged unauthorized charges, a bid that ended in rejection. His abrupt resignation as commissioner merely a month after this failed endeavor, accompanied by a statement littered with regretful sentiments, only added fuel to the already roaring fire of suspicion.
Subsequent to his arrest, Shoulders is now grappling with a slew of charges, ranging from attempted fraud to filing a false report, landing him in a legal quagmire. Released on a $500 bond, the ex-commissioner braces himself for the looming specter of an imminent court appearance, his once pristine reputation irreversibly tarnished by the weight of these allegations.
As the saga unfurls, darker shadows cast by discrepancies involving charitable contributions purportedly diverted to a business account under Shoulders’ jurisdiction, come to light. The intricate web of deceit and misdirection weaves a narrative far removed from his erstwhile role as a community stalwart, leaving a trail of disbelief and bewilderment in its wake.
