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Casino exec admits funneling cash to Indianapolis GOP, pleads guilty

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Casino exec admits funneling cash to Indianapolis GOP, pleads guilty


On line casino government and former state lawmaker John Keeler pleaded responsible in federal court docket Monday morning to at least one depend of submitting a false tax return in reference to a scheme to secretly funnel on line casino money to a Marion County Republican Social gathering PAC.

The responsible plea got here only one hour earlier than Keeler’s federal trial was scheduled to start and per week after his co-defendant, former state Sen. Brent Waltz, pleaded responsible. 

Prosecutors agreed to drop 5 different counts towards Keeler as a part of a plea settlement. He faces as much as three years in jail, however will seemingly obtain much less underneath the deal. He will likely be required to pay restitution of $14,350, which equates to the tax losses.

His sentencing has not been scheduled but.

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Keeler admits to tax fraud

The responsible plea is the newest develop in multi-year federal public corruption investigation involving New Centaur LLC, which owned Indiana’s solely horse track-casinos in Anderson and Shelbyville till 2018. Keeler was the corporate’s vp and normal counsel.

As a part of his plea deal, Keeler admitted to working with an out-of-state political marketing consultant to funnel $25,000 to the Better Indianapolis Republican Finance Committee, a political motion committee related to the Marion County Republican Social gathering. 

On line casino-investor ties led Speaker Bosma to skip gaming invoice vote. Right here’s why questions linger.

On the time, in 2016, the occasion was struggling financially, in accordance with the plea deal. Keeler needed to assist, however believed Indiana legislation prohibited on line casino firm contributions.

To cover the supply of the funds, he and Maryland political marketing consultant Kelley Rogers agreed that one in every of Roger’s firm’s would ship a faux bill to New Centaur. Rogers would then contribute many of the cash to the Better Indianapolis Republican Finance Committee. 

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On April 15, 2016, Rogers despatched an bill to Keeler purportedly for providers associated to New Centaur’s horse racing enterprise. Keeler licensed a $41,000 fee. He then handed the Republican finance committee’s account info to Rogers and advised Marion County occasion officers the cash was on the way in which. 

Over the following week, Rogers wired contributions totaling $25,000 to the Republican finance committee. The contributions have been funded with the cash from New Centaur, in accordance with the plea settlement. 

When New Centaur filed its taxes, it claimed the $41,000 fee as a enterprise expense, although it was really an expense associated to supporting candidates for public workplace, which isn’t deductible. 

On line casino government’s trial begins immediately:What is going to we find out about affect peddling in Indiana?

What’s subsequent

Keeler additionally had been accused of a comparable scheme to funnel greater than $40,000 in on line casino cash to Waltz’s failed U.S. Home bid in 2015, however these fees have been dropped as a part of the plea deal. 

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These allegations once more concerned faux contracts between New Centaur and corporations managed by Rogers. Rogers and Waltz then recruited and paid so known as “straw donors” to contribute to Waltz’s marketing campaign in their very own names. 

Former Indiana state Sen. Brent Waltz, R-Greenwood.

Waltz pleaded responsible final week to 2 counts associated to that alleged scheme: making and receiving conduit contributions and making false statements to the FBI. 

Waltz faces as much as 10 years in jail, however like Keeler he’ll in all probability obtain a a lot lighter sentence underneath the plea deal he struck with prosecutors. His sentencing has not been scheduled but. 

The convictions towards Waltz and Keeler bring to a halt all pending instances within the investigation, nevertheless it’s not clear whether or not different prosecutions may be within the wings. 

Throughout a pre-trial listening to on Thursday, an lawyer with the U.S. Division of Justice’s public integrity part referred to Keeler’s boss, former New Centaur CEO Rod Ratcliff, as a co-conspirator. 

Rod Ratcliff, currently chairman and CEO of Spectacle Entertainment, is seen when he was CEO of Centaur Gaming.

Ratcliff, who has not been publicly charged with any crime, is among the most influential figures in Indiana politics and has been a major contributor to former President Donald Trump and different Republicans. The Indiana Gaming Fee stripped gaming license and banned him from Indiana’s playing trade final yr.

Final week, he criticized prosecutors for calling him a co-conspirator. In a press release from his spokesman, Ratcliff mentioned he had been “falsely accused” and famous he has not been suggested that he’s a goal of any grand jury investigation. 

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Contact IndyStar reporter Tony Cook dinner at 317-444-6081 or tony.cook dinner@indystar.com. Observe him on Twitter: @IndyStarTony.





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Indianapolis, IN

PHOTOS | Indy sneakerheads line up for the new Air Jordan 4

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PHOTOS | Indy sneakerheads line up for the new Air Jordan 4


The Wet Cement edition of the the Air Jordan 4 dropped Saturday morning and about a dozen people waited for the shoes outside the Corporate store in downtown Indianapolis. The first person in line told News 8 that they got in line at 7:30 a.m. for a 10 a.m. release. The “Wet Cement” Air Jordans retail for $225. (WISH Photo/Colin Baillie)

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Indianapolis, IN

IMPD: No suspect in custody in officer's shooting, but there is no 'ongoing threat'

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IMPD: No suspect in custody in officer's shooting, but there is no 'ongoing threat'


This article will update.

A police officer was injured in a shooting on the city’s far east side Friday and police were searching late into the night for whoever pulled the trigger.

Police said the event started unfolding shortly after 8:30 p.m. in the 3600 block of North Wittfield Street, near East 36th Street and North Post Road in the city’s Northeastwood neighborhood. The shooting happened after officers responded to the area on a “shots fired” call.

Shortly after the shooting police said the immediate area was not safe and residents were asked to stay inside their homes and avoid the neighborhood. About 11:15 p.m. police said a sweep of the area — including with K-9s — did not surface a suspect, but they did not believe there was an ongoing threat any longer.

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Anyone with information or video footage is asked to call 911.

“There’s a lot that we don’t know about this incident. And we’re hopeful that we will learn more later on,” Capt. Shane Foley said during a media briefing at the scene.

The 8-year veteran officer was taken to Eskenazi Hospital in stable condition.

Shortly before 1 a.m., during a briefing at the hospital, Asst. Chief Michael Wooley said a house also was hit by gunfire but no residents were struck. Wooley said no officers fired their weapons and body cameras were activated throughout the situation.

The injured officer suffered gunshot wounds to his abdomen and right arm and was stable after undergoing surgery, Chief Chris Bailey said.

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“He is expected to make a full recovery, although (he) is going to be in the hospital for some days,” Bailey added.

Police have not released a description of the suspect in the shooting, who remained at large early Saturday.

“Right now, officers are all over the city, looking for the individual or individuals responsible for what happened,” Bailey said.

Officers will remain in the neighborhood collecting evidence likely past sunrise, he added.

Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department vehicle lines the roadway after an officer was shot in the 3600 block of Wittfield Street on the city's far east side. The officer was listed in stable condition shortly after the shooting July 26, 2024.

Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department vehicle lines the roadway after an officer was shot in the 3600 block of Wittfield Street on the city’s far east side. The officer was listed in stable condition shortly after the shooting July 26, 2024.

Second Indianapolis police officer shot this year

This is the second time this year an Indianapolis police officer has been shot. In March an off-duty officer working security at an east side bar on East Washington Street was hit in an exchange of gunfire with at least one suspect. A man who was injured in that shooting died at a local hospital.

The bar where that shooting happened, 11:11 Bar & Grille, located at 9439 E. Washington St., was closed by unanimous vote of the Indiana Alcohol & Tobacco Commission.

11:11 Bar & Grille shooting: State shuts down club where 6 people were shot, including off-duty IMPD officer

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Bar shooting: Shooting at east side bar injures multiple people including IMPD officer

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indianapolis police officer shot. Suspect at large late Friday





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Indianapolis, IN

IMPD: Area where officer shot ‘not safe’. Residents asked to stay inside

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IMPD: Area where officer shot ‘not safe’. Residents asked to stay inside


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This article will update.

A police officer was injured in a shooting on the city’s far east side Friday night.

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Police said the immediate area around the shooting is not safe and residents are asked to stay inside their homes and avoid the area. Anyone with information or video footage is asked to call 911.

Few details were immediately available, but police said the event started unfolding about 8:30 p.m. in the 3600 block of North Wittfield Street, near the intersection of East 36th Street and North Post Road in the city’s Northeastwood neighborhood. Online police reports indicate the shooting happened after officers responded to the area on a “shots fired” call.

The officer is listed in stable condition, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police said in a post on X, formally Twitter.

People can expect a “large police presence” in the neighborhood for a “significant” amount of time. Police have K-9s in the area searching for potential suspects.

“Officers are actively canvassing and we’re asking people to avoid the area for their own safety,” said Capt. Shane Foley.

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Police have not released a description of the suspect in the shooting.

“There’s a lot that we don’t know about this incident. And we’re hopeful that we will learn more later on,” Foley said.  

Second Indianapolis police officer shot this year

This is the second time this year an Indianapolis police officer has been shot. In March an off-duty officer working security at an east side bar on East Washington Street was hit in an exchange of gunfire with at least one suspect. A man who was injured in that shooting died at a local hospital.

The bar where that shooting happened, 11:11 Bar & Grille, located at 9439 E. Washington St., was closed by unanimous vote of the Indiana Alcohol & Tobacco Commission.

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11:11 Bar & Grille shooting: State shuts down club where 6 people were shot, including off-duty IMPD officer

Bar shooting: Shooting at east side bar injures multiple people including IMPD officer



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