May 15, 2015

No Criminal Charges For Ex-Indiana Schools Chief Tony Bennett

Former Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett. - Lesley Weidenbener / TheStatehouseFile.com

Former Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett.

Lesley Weidenbener / TheStatehouseFile.com

INDIANAPOLIS — Former Indiana state schools Superintendent Tony Bennett won't face any criminal charges after an investigation into whether he misused state resources for his 2012 re-election campaign.

Democratic Marion County Prosecutor Terry Curry announced Friday that his staff reviewed hundreds of documents and thousands of emails, but that the evidence didn't justify criminal charges.

Curry's review began in December after The Associated Press reported that an internal state investigation had found more than 100 instances that could support wire fraud charges against Bennett for his use of staff and state resources during his unsuccessful 2012 campaign.

The Republican paid a $5,000 fine for ethics violations but admitted no wrongdoing as part of a settlement with the state ethics commission.

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