John Keeler, a former casino executive, confessed on Monday to unlawfully channeling money to the Marion County Republican Party. Just an hour before his federal court trial was due to commence, he accepted a plea deal.

Keeler admitted to filing a fraudulent tax return in a plan to redirect casino money, a crime that could lead to a maximum of three years in jail. However, his agreement clears him of any misconduct in the Brent Waltz case.

Keeler takes plea deal

Keeler may escape some of his charges, however, he is still confronting penalty for his involvement in tax fraud.

In his agreement, he confessed to employing an out-of-state consultant to indirectly channel $25,000 to the Marion County GOP.

Keeler served as the vice president of Centaur Gaming at the time. The company was the owner of Harrah’s Hoosier Park and Horseshoe Indianapolis casinos until they were sold to Caesars Entertainment in 2018.

To maintain secrecy, Keeler funneled the money through a political consultant in Maryland. This consultant then fabricated invoices to charge Centaur, and subsequently forwarded the majority of the funds to the Republican Finance Committee in Indianapolis.

The attempt by Centaur to classify the payments as business expenses raised suspicions, leading to a prolonged investigation by federal officials and the Indiana Gaming Commission. Ultimately, in September 2020, Keeler was indicted on federal charges.

As part of his plea deal, Keeler will pay $14,350 to cover the tax losses resulting from the scheme.

In addition to potentially facing up to three years in prison, he could receive a more lenient sentence due to his deal.

Waltz charges dropped

As part of his plea agreement, prosecutors dismissed five other charges against Keeler. This will absolve him from the Brent Waltz situation.

Keeler is alleged to have been Waltz’s partner in a similar money-funneling scheme that led to the Spectacle Entertainment casino scandal.

Prosecutors assert that Keeler unlawfully channeled over $40,000 from Centaur to Waltz’s failed political campaign in 2015, in a nutshell.

Last week, Waltz admitted to his role in the scheme as part of a plea agreement he accepted.

During a pre-trial hearing last week, Rod Ratcliff, who used to be Keeler’s boss at Centaur, was referred to as a “co-conspirator”.

Last year, Ratcliff was permanently banned from the state’s casino industry by the Indiana Gaming Commission.

Even so, Ratcliff has yet to be charged with any crimes. This could potentially change in the future, but presently, he is not facing the same fate as Waltz and Keeler.