LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Georgianne Anderegg, former Fairfield Township Trustee Taletha Coles’ mother, submitted a letter to Tippecanoe Superior 5 Judge Randy Williams on Dec. 27, asking the judge to consider Coles’ “clean record” when he sentences Coles at 9:30 a.m. Jan. 22.

“I wanted to write to you and give you some facts that seem to be falling through the cracks with everything that has been happening,” Anderegg wrote.

“I cannot speak to any of the charges, as I do not live in Lafayette and I have not witnessed any wrong doing,” Coles’ mother wrote. “But what I can say is that my daughter has always been very ambitious and hard working.

“I cannot believe that Taletha would intentionally break the law,” Anderegg wrote.

Coles pleaded guilty on Nov. 9 to four of 42 indictments. The remaining 38 indictments will be dismissed at sentencing, according to the plea agreement.

Coles pleaded guilty to tax exemption fraud, a Class B misdemeanor, admitting she used the township’s tax exemption to avoid paying sales taxes on personal purchases from Menards. She pleaded guilty to conflict of interest, a Level 6 felony, for selling her personal property to the township. This purchase netted Coles $4,437.45 in personal income, according to the amount listed in restitution.

She also pleaded guilty to two indictments of official misconduct for a variety of allegations she misused her elected office during 2021 and 2022.

“She may have believed that she had more freedom of what should could do, in her position,” Anderegg wrote. “If that was the case, I don’t think that she tried to take advantage of her position. She just had big hopes and ideas for what she felt could be accomplished.”

The Indiana State Board of Accounts recently published its report of Coles’ three-plus years in office that indicated she misused more than $138,000 of taxpayer money.

More: State Board of Accounts says ex-trustee misused $138K of taxpayer money

Anderegg wrote about her daughter’s dreams and vision for her time in office.

“When she was elected for this position, Taletha was thrilled,” Anderegg wrote. “She had such wonderful plans to improve the community and help those in need. She took great pride in improving the appearance of the cemetery and wanted to do a good job.”

Coles often blamed the township board and the media for repeated requests to inspect public documents pertaining to her use of taxpayer money, claiming in public posts that they were out to get her.

“(I) have been under attack since I took office,” she stated in an October 2022 plea on GoFundMe in an attempt to raise $10,000 for her legal defense. “It’s been a political coo (sic) that I thought would go away due to it being so childish I thought people would see though all the BS but it’s only gotten worse and now I’m fighting for my freedom and life.”

The GoFundMe account was removed within days with only one $20 donation. Just days before she left office, Coles used $10,000 of taxpayer money to “replenishment for continued representation.”

Prosecutors indicated at the Nov. 9 hearing that the $10,000 will be part of their request for restitution, which will be discussed during a 10:30 a.m. Jan. 12 hearing to sort through how much Coles might have to repay to taxpayers.

More: Fairfield Township trustee’s crowd-funding account removed

More: Trustee Taletha Coles paid $10K to attorney with taxpayer money

“She mentioned several times and had great concern of those that she felt were against her and did not want to give her a chance to show what she could do,” Andereggs wrote to the court.

“Taletha has never been in trouble a day in her life,” Coles’ mother wrote. “She was a good student in school and always gives 110% towards everything she does. She does not sugar coat anything and maybe that rubbed people the wrong way, expecting her to bend to their way of thinking. I know it has been a difficult journey for her and that this is far from what she was expecting her job to be.

“I understand that you will be giving your verdict for what punishment she is going to face, for the charges against her. But I hope that you will take into consideration her clean record with the law prior to these accusations against her.”

Anderegg’s letter is the first submitted in support of Coles, but two former township workers submitted letters asking Williams to reject Coles’ guilty pleas.

More: Former employees urge judge to reject ex-trustee Coles’ plea agreement

Former township employee Kelli Stump wrote, “I urge you to reject Coles’ plea agreement to ensure that she is held accountable for the full extent of her actions. The community deserves justice, and rejecting the plea agreement will send a clear message that such behavior by elected officials will not be tolerated.

“… Ms. Coles engaged in a pattern of theft, stealing local tax dollars intended for poor relief and spent it on herself. Coles literally stole money from the poor,” Stump wrote. “Her actions cannot be minimized because she stole from over 70,000 victims for almost four years.”

Former township employee Teresa Meyers was named Employee of the Year by the Indiana Township Association. She, too, urged Williams to reject Coles’ plea.

“I firmly believe that public officials should uphold the highest standards of integrity and accountability. As such, I am urging you to consider rejecting any plea deal Ms. Coles may present,” Meyers wrote. “Her actions should be met with appropriate consequences, specifically in relation to the Corrupt Business Influence level 5 felony.

Reach Ron Wilkins at rwilkins@jconline.com. Follow on Twitter: @RonWilkins2.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Lafayette-area trustee’s mother writes judge asking for leniency