An investigation conducted by the Indiana Office of Inspector General has resulted in a criminal conviction and sentence for a former Indiana Department of Child Services family case manager.
Sylvia Mbilo Mundala, who worked as a family case manager for DCS from February 2021 through August 2024, pleaded guilty in Marion Superior Court to official misconduct, a Level 6 felony. As part of a plea agreement, judgement was entered as a Class A Misdemeanor, and a related misdemeanor charge of falsifying child abuse or neglect information or records was dismissed.
On Aug. 4, 2026, Marion County Superior Court Judge Helen W. Marchal sentenced Mandula to 365 days in jail. She suspended the sentence to 4 days served, and 180 days of probation and completion of a reform education program.
The OIG investigation found that Mundala falsely documented in the state’s DCS case management system that she had conducted required face-to-face visits with children and families – when in fact those visits did not actually occur. Family members interviewed by investigators, along with cell phone location data, photographs and text messages, contradicted the visit entries Mundala had recorded.
“Working closely with DCS to bear out the facts, our investigators were able to bring a solid case to the prosecutor — who carried the case all the way to a sentence,” said Indiana Inspector General Jared Prentice. “When a case manager falsifies records, it puts children at risk and undermines the integrity of the entire child welfare system — and that cannot stand without severe consequences.”