The promise of a lucrative job in exchange for a vote for a casino bill could land a former Indiana lawmaker in prison for a long period after he pleaded guilty this month.
Sean Eberhart, 57, now faces up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit honest services fraud. The verdict will be announced at a later date as prosecutors and Eberhart’s lawyers have not yet reached an agreement on the recommended sentence, according to the British newspaper “Daily Mail”. ABC News. They reached an agreement that required Eberhardt to pay $60,000 in restitution.
Passing the bill for a high paying job
Eberhart® served in the state Legislature for 17 years before leaving office in 2022. This case arises from Spectacle Entertainment’s 2018 effort to acquire two casinos in Gary. The company hoped to move the two casinos to other locations in Gary, as well as Vigo County.
The Legislature passed a bill approving the idea in 2019, but law enforcement investigations revealed more about Eberhart’s idea. Efforts to move the bill forward Through the House Committee on Public Policy, which oversees casinos.
“According to prosecutors, Eberhardt, a member of the committee, used his position to successfully advocate for the transfer and obtain other favorable terms for the company, including tax incentives.” ABC Reports. In return, they said, Eberhart accepted the promise of future work at Spectacle, which included annual compensation of at least $350,000.
Investigation scene too
Spectacle Entertainment has also been investigated at the state and federal levels. This led to charges involving illegal campaign contributions against another executive, John Keller, and former Indiana Senator Brent Waltz.
Keller received two months in federal prison and a $55,000 fine, and Waltz was sentenced to 10 months in federal prison. Spectacle was eventually forced to relinquish ownership of stakes in the casino venture in Gary and Terre Haute. Hard Rock International later acquired Gary Casino in 2021.
“We believe in the project and feel good about being in this community and in this jurisdiction,” Hard Rock said coo John Lucas told the Gaming Commission. “This was the way to solve it. We are more than willing to do that.”
Casino-related corruption accusations have made some news recently. In September, a New Hampshire casino owner was charged with felonies Coronavirus disease Scams They allegedly spent some of this money on luxury cars and other things.
