Exposé: Indiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Loretta Rush’s Alleged “Kids for Cash” Empire in Tippecanoe County

Indiana Supreme Court Justice Loretta Rush

By the Hoosier Enquirer

For over a year, the Hoosier Enquirer has been unraveling a grotesque scandal implicating Indiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Loretta Rush, whose 14-year tenure as Tippecanoe Superior Court 3 Juvenile Judge (1998–2012) is now shrouded in accusations of a vile “kids for cash” scheme. A former assistant, who fled Indiana in 2012 after blowing the whistle, claims Rush heartlessly tore over 100 children from their families, pocketing illicit payments from organizations like the Indiana Kensington Program while posing as a paragon of justice. This chilling account, buried for years by Indiana’s corrupt elite, exposes Rush as a ruthless profiteer who allegedly sold out vulnerable kids for personal gain, leaving shattered lives in her wake.

A Predator Behind the Bench

The whistleblower, Rush’s former assistant who worked closely with her in Tippecanoe County, paints a damning portrait of a judge who turned the juvenile court into a cash machine. Having moved out of state in 2012 to escape danger, the assistant remains anonymous, haunted by the fallout of their attempt to expose Rush. They provided the Hoosier Enquirer with a report listing over 100 cases where Rush allegedly ripped kids from their parents on dubious grounds, funneling them into programs that paid her to keep the pipeline flowing. The Indiana Kensington Program, a shady outfit tied to juvenile placements, was reportedly Rush’s main accomplice, slipping her money to ensure a steady supply of children. “She was merciless,” the assistant said, describing Rush’s cold-hearted scheme to enrich herself at the expense of families begging for mercy.

Rush didn’t just bend the law—she twisted it into a tool for profit. The assistant alleges she operated with chilling arrogance, knowing her judicial robe shielded her from scrutiny. While parents wept, Rush allegedly counted her cash, indifferent to the human cost of her decisions. This wasn’t a court of justice; it was a marketplace where kids were the commodity, and Rush was the broker.

A Whistleblower Hunted, A Scandal Buried

The assistant’s efforts to unmask Rush were met with terror and betrayal. In 2011, after trying to report her, they claim the Indiana State Police, under then-Governor Mitch Daniels’ administration, tried to kill them to silence the truth. Fearing for their life, the assistant quit their job and fled Indiana in 2012, their faith in the system obliterated. That same year, they handed a file exposing Rush’s alleged racket to an IndyStar reporter, only for Editor-in-Chief Jeff Taylor to kill the story, ensuring Rush’s crimes stayed hidden. The timing is no coincidence—2012 was the year Daniels appointed Rush to the Indiana Supreme Court, a promotion that smells of a cover-up to protect one of the state’s own.

On March 25, 2011, the assistant made a desperate move, slipping the file to Lt. Governor Becky Skillman during her visit to Smith Elementary School, as reported by Aaron Blevins in The Reporter Times. Skillman, apparently content to ignore the bombshell, passed it to an aide, and it vanished. The assistant’s bravery was crushed by indifference, proving Rush’s grip on Indiana’s power structure was ironclad.

Tainted Honors, Hollow Praise

Rush’s public image as a stellar judge was a sickening lie. In 2001, she was handed the Fiscal Responsibility Award by the Tippecanoe County Council and Commissioners—a cruel joke for a judge allegedly cashing in on kids. In 2003, she nabbed the Kinsey Award for Juvenile Judge of the Year, a trophy that now reeks of hypocrisy. These accolades weren’t for serving justice—they were props in Rush’s charade, masking her alleged greed while she preyed on the vulnerable.

RICO Violations and a Shameless Ascent

The Hoosier Enquirer’s probe began with claims that Rush violated the RICO Act, a law targeting organized crime, after the assistant revealed her alleged “kids for cash” operation as a calculated enterprise. By systematically separating kids from families for profit, Rush reportedly ran a racket with the Kensington Program as her willing partner. Proving it, though, is a battle against sealed juvenile records and a wall of silence from those too scared—or too complicit—to speak. Yet the assistant’s report of over 100 wronged children screams for justice, even as Rush hides behind her Supreme Court title.

Rush’s 2012 appointment to the Indiana Supreme Court by Mitch Daniels wasn’t a reward for merit—it was a payoff, elevating a loyal player who allegedly played dirty. Her climb to Chief Justice in 2014 cemented her as untouchable, a glaring symbol of a judiciary rotten at its core. Rush’s legacy, once celebrated, is now a monument to betrayal.

The Kensington Program: Rush’s Alleged Paymaster

The Indiana Kensington Program, a murky operation that folded years ago, was allegedly Rush’s cash cow. The assistant claims Rush fed kids into their system, knowing each placement meant a payout. Details on the program are scarce—conveniently so—but the assistant’s testimony points to a corrupt partnership where Rush traded lives for profit. Without financial records or other witnesses, the trail is murky, but Rush’s name remains at the center, a stain that grows darker with every retelling.

A Fortress of Secrets

Corroborating the assistant’s claims is like breaking into a vault. Juvenile records are sealed, Rush’s allies are silent, and the assistant’s 2012 flight from Indiana left few traces. The passage of time has buried evidence, but the assistant’s detailed report and raw anger keep the story alive. Rush’s defenders might scream “smear,” but the faces of those 100-plus kids, torn from their homes, haunt this investigation. Something’s rotten in Tippecanoe, and Rush’s fingerprints are all over it.

A Judas in Black Robes

Loretta Rush isn’t Indiana’s shining star—she’s its darkest secret. A judge who allegedly sold kids to line her pockets, Rush betrayed every oath she took. Her awards are tarnished, her Supreme Court seat a mockery, her legacy a lie. The assistant’s story, though unproven in court, is a dagger to the heart of Indiana’s judiciary. Why did IndyStar bury the truth? Why did Skillman look the other way? And why does Rush, perched atop the state’s highest court, still dodge accountability?

The Hoosier Enquirer demands a federal probe to rip open Rush’s past and drag her alleged crimes into the light. Indiana deserves a Chief Justice who upholds the law, not one who twisted it for profit. The families she’s accused of destroying deserve justice, and Rush must face the music for the lives she allegedly wrecked.

Conclusion

Loretta Rush’s alleged “kids for cash” scheme is a blight on Indiana’s conscience. The assistant’s report, backed by claims of over 100 ruined lives, brands her a monster in a judge’s robe. Her rise to Chief Justice, greased by political cronies, shows a system shielding its worst. The Hoosier Enquirer won’t rest until Rush’s secrets are exposed. If you know anything about her Tippecanoe days or the Kensington Program, come forward. Indiana’s children deserve better than a judge who saw them as paychecks.