MUNCIE, Ind. — A Delaware County contractor avoided prison time but will pay a hefty price after pleading guilty in a bribery scheme discovered as part of a federal investigation.
U.S. District Court Judge Jane Magnus-Stinson ordered 54-year-old Rodney A. Barber to pay $104,750 in restitution to the Muncie Sanitary District. In lieu of a prison sentence, he’ll spend two years on probation.
Three other counts were dismissed during Tuesday’s hearing.
Barber pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and admitted he paid the ex-Democratic party chairman, Phil Nichols, $5,500 to win a contract with the sanitary district.
Barber also admitted to giving Tracy Barton, another sanitary district official, $5,000 to go toward the re-election campaign of then-Mayor Dennis Tyler.
The money led to Tyler’s arrest and conviction. He pleaded guilty to one count of theft of government funds and spent five months in federal prison.
Alleged corruption within the Muncie Sanitary District revolved around contracts and kickbacks. The federal probe, which began in 2014, ensnared several different individuals.
Others implicated in the case, including both Nichols and Barton, have signed plea agreements. Two others are serving time in federal prison for their roles in the scheme.
