Sean Eberhart, a former state representative from Shelbyville, was sentenced to one year and one day in federal prison Wednesday after admitting to advocating for legislation in exchange for a lucrative position at a casino.
Eberhart pleaded guilty in November to a felony charge of conspiracy to commit honest services fraud.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Eberhart was also given a $25,000 fine and serve one year of probation after his release from prison. He also agreed to pay $60,000 in restitution.
Eberhart faced up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, but the U.S. attorney recommended a sentence no higher than the low end of advisory guidelines.
Eberhart used his position as a lawmaker “to enrich himself by soliciting and accepting gifts, payments, and other things of value” from Spectacle Entertainment in exchange for “favorable official action, namely future employment at and compensation from Spectacle,” according to federal prosecutors.
Spectacle was a company created following the sale of Centaur Holdings LLC. Spectacle utilized the same office space that was previously used by Centaur, and many Centaur executives continued in substantially similar roles as executives of Spectacle, prosecutors said.
The charge was based on evidence gathered from text messages to and from Eberhart, call records involving Eberhart, digital images of documents sent to and/or received from Eberhart and others, covert recordings of conversations with Eberhart, and audio and video recordings and other records of statements and actions in the Indiana Legislature, according to court documents.
