Former Muncie Mayor Dennis Tyler, 78, has agreed to plead guilty to one felony count of theft. The plea agreement was signed Tuesday by Tyler, defense attorney James Voyles and Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany Preston.
According to the document:
• Beginning in 2014, Tyler agreed to use his official position as mayor of Muncie to steer demolition work on the Walnut Commons project to an unnamed local firm.
• While that firm later withdrew from the Walnut Commons project, Tyler in October 2015 steered a contract for similar work on the Nebo Commons project to the same business, even though it was not the lowest responsive bidder.
• On Dec. 10, 2015, a person associated with that business gave Barton $5,000 in cash, which he delivered to Tyler as a gratuity because Tyler had illegally steered contracts such as those related to the Walnut and Nebo Commons projects to the company.
May 25, 2021 / 06:27 PM EST
INDIAANAPOLIS (WISH) Former Muncie Mayor Dennis Tyler on Tuesday agreed to a plea deal to be found guilty of theft of government funds.
The maximum penalty facing the former Democrat mayor is 10 years in prison followed by 10 years supervised release, plus a $250,000 fine. However, prosecutors have recommended Tyler receive a sentence on the “low end” of prison time and a fine. A judge will determine the sentence, although no court date has been set for that hearing.
Tyler was arrested in November 2019, just months before he completed eight years in office on Jan. 1. An FBI investigation of Tyler had begun in 2016.