Former Shelbyville Rep. Eberhart agrees to plead guilty to felony charge

by Whitney Downard, Indiana Capital Chronicle

Former Shelbyville Rep. Sean Eberhart has signed paperwork to plead guilty to a federal felony charge related to his conduct as a lawmaker, though details about the offense are scarce.

A plea agreement in the case was filed Thursday evening.

The plea to conspiracy to commit honest services fraud can include accepting bribes or kickbacks related to one’s public service and includes a maximum punishment of five years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release. 

The parties didn’t agree to a sentence in the documents but the government signaled it would recommend a sentence on the lower range based on information presently known.

Restitution in the case is $60,000 — the legislative salary for Eberhart — alongside a $100 fee for a mandatory special assessment.

Evidence of Eberhart’s involvement, according to the document, includes: texts, recorded calls, scans of documents, “covert recordings of conversations” and video from legislative proceedings.

With an offense level of 21 — slightly reduced due to his “acceptance of responsibility” — Eberhart could serve between 37 and 46 months, according to the 2016 sentencing guidelines.

No others have publicly been charged but a conspiracy case could include other defendants.

Eberhart left the General Assembly last year after 16 years in the legislature where he played a key role in casino legislation benefiting the racino in Shelbyville, now called Horseshoe Indianapolis.

This story will be updated.