A former Indiana state congressman was sentenced to a yr 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 am truly and deeply sorry for what I did,” Eberhart mentioned in court docket. He additionally mentioned he took “full responsibility” for his actions.
Details On The Case
The case stems from an incident in 2019 during which a on line casino firm referred to as Spectacle Entertainment was looking for to relocate two lakeside casinos from town of Gary.
Prosecutors mentioned Eberhart labored to move laws that might assist Spectacle, and that included lowering an $80 million licensing charge in addition to tax incentives for the transfer. Prosecutors famous that the invoice could 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 have to think it was simply a matter of greed,” U.S. District Court Judge Matthew Brookman mentioned.
Spectacle was additionally investigated at state and federal ranges after the incident got here to mild. That led to expenses involving unlawful marketing campaign contributions towards one other government, John Keeler, and former Indiana state Sen. Brent Waltz®.
Keeler obtained two months in federal jail and a $55,000 effective. Waltz was given 10 months in federal jail and Spectacle was compelled to surrender possession of on line casino initiatives in Gary and Terre Haute. The Gary on line casino was taken over by Hard Rock International in 2021.
