A former Indiana state congressman was sentenced to a 12 months in jail this week after pushing a on line casino invoice in change for a six-figure job with the corporate.
Former Rep. Sean Eberhart® pleaded responsible to conspiring to commit fraud in November as a part of a plea deal. He additionally agreed to pay $60,000 in restitution, about the identical as his annual pay as a state lawmaker.
“I’m really and deeply sorry for what I did,” Eberhart stated in courtroom. He additionally stated he took “full duty” for his actions.
Particulars On The Case
The case stems from an incident in 2019 through which a on line casino firm referred to as Spectacle Leisure was searching for to relocate two lakeside casinos from the town of Gary.
Prosecutors stated Eberhart labored to cross laws that will assist Spectacle, and that included decreasing an $80 million licensing price in addition to tax incentives for the transfer. Prosecutors famous that the invoice might have handed even with out Everhart’s backing, which can not have ended up being very helpful to the corporate.
Eberhart advocated for the laws in change for a future job with a $350,000 annual wage.
“I’ve to assume it was merely a matter of greed,” U.S. District Courtroom Decide Matthew Brookman stated.
Spectacle was additionally investigated at state and federal ranges after the incident got here to mild. That led to fees involving unlawful marketing campaign contributions in opposition to one other government, John Keeler, and former Indiana state Sen. Brent Waltz®.
Keeler acquired two months in federal jail and a $55,000 tremendous. Waltz was given 10 months in federal jail and Spectacle was pressured to surrender possession of on line casino tasks in Gary and Terre Haute. The Gary on line casino was taken over by Laborious Rock Worldwide in 2021.
