INDIANAPOLIS — Former Indiana state senator and gaming executive Brent Waltz has been indicted with violations of federal campaign finance laws.
Waltz, 47, of Greenwood, faces the following charges:
- One count of conspiracy to make conduit contributions, false statements and to obstruct justice
- One count of making and receiving conduit contributions
- One count of obstruction of justice
- Two counts of making false statements related to a scheme to route contributions through conduit donors to his 2016 congressional campaign.
John Keeler, 71, of Indianapolis and the vice president and general counsel of New Centaur, LLC, was also indicted Tuesday morning.
According to court documents, Keeler arranged for his company to transfer thousands of dollars from its accounts with Kelley Rogers, a political consultant with Waltz's 2016 congressional campaign, who then contributed the money to Waltz's campaign.
Court documents say Rogers created phony invoices and agreements that reflected services be performed for New Centaur, LLC. Upon receiving the payments from New Centaur, LLC, Rogers allegedly recruited several straw donors, including Waltz, to each contribute $2,700 to his campaign, which was the maximum permitted under federal law at the time. The straw donors were then reimbursed by Rogers using the money from New Centaur, LLC.
Waltz was a member of the Indiana Senate from the 36th district from 2005-2017. He did not seek reelection for his Senate seat in 2016 in order to run in the primary election for the office of the U.S. House of Representatives representing the Ninth District of Indiana. He lost that election to now-United States Senator Todd Young.
