An Indiana woman collected over $200,000 in disability payments for nearly six years while photos on her social media told a very different story. Now, both she and her husband, a sitting county sheriff, are facing felony charges that have shaken public trust in their county. Ashley Kelly, a jail matron at the Clinton County Sheriff’s Office, had been receiving full disability payments from the Indiana State Police Pension Trust since 2015.
She originally claimed a neck injury from slipping on ice while getting into her patrol car in 2014 had left her unable to perform her duties. Her husband, Clinton County Sheriff Richard Kelly, has also been charged for his alleged role in helping her carry out the fraud. The case began to unravel in January 2026 when two Clinton County Sheriff’s Office deputies reported to the Indiana State Police that Ashley may not actually be disabled.
According to the Daily Mail, court records showed she received $205,398.77 in payments between 2021 and 2026. A probable cause affidavit stated that “even if Ashley Kelly’s original 2014 injury claim was legitimate, the evidence overwhelmingly shows that she continued to accept disability benefits while knowingly misrepresenting her physical condition.”
Her own social media posts got her caught, of all things
While Ashley claimed she could not drive or work without help, investigators found photos and videos on her social media that told a very different story. The images showed her horseback riding, parasailing, changing a tire, carrying her children, and working out with weights. She had also been spotted driving around the county on her own multiple times.
Investigators said the evidence, including medical records, witness statements, and the photos, showed “clear and consistent contradictions” between what she had reported about her condition and what she was actually capable of doing. Indiana has seen other troubling cases where online evidence played a key role, with investigators using digital footprints to piece together what really happened.
Richard Kelly was charged with two counts of aiding and causing fraud, one count of aiding and causing theft, and one count of official misconduct. Ashley was charged with two counts of fraud, theft, and official misconduct. Both were booked into Marion County Jail on the night of April 11, 2026, and released on a $1,000 cash bond each. An initial court hearing was scheduled for Tuesday, April 14.
The new charges are not the couple’s first brush with the law. They were previously ordered to pay $329,360.47 for the improper use of jail commissary funds and the costs of a state audit. The court found that the couple had funneled commissary profits into their private company, Leonne LLC, without the required approval from the county.
Between their salaries, pensions, disability payments, and money from Leonne LLC, state police said the couple made $639,363 in just two years between 2019 and 2021. They are also due in court in May 2026 for that earlier case involving misconduct and conflict of interest charges.
Clinton County Commissioners have called for both of them to resign. “These new charges make it clear that public trust has been broken,” said Commissioner Jordan Brewer. Both Richard and Ashley have pleaded not guilty to all charges. Richard previously dismissed the earlier charges as “nothing more than a political farce.”
Meanwhile, Ashley is currently running to replace her husband as Clinton County Sheriff once his term ends. Indiana institutions have faced public scrutiny in other ways too, as seen in a case where an Indiana hospital came under fire after a woman revealed a decision they made while she was minutes away from delivery.
Published: Apr 14, 2026 02:04 pm