A federal jury last week convicted former Indianapolis and Marion County, In. County Councilman Lincoln Plowman of attempted extortion and soliciting a bribe.
“Former Councilman Plowman betrayed the public’s trust by attempting to use his public office for personal gain,” said Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer. “He attempted to trade official actions for cash and campaign contributions, but he was caught,” said Assistant Attorney General Breuer. “Corruption at any level of government flies in the face of the ideals upon which our democracy is built. We will simply not allow self-dealing by elected officials to go unpunished.”
According to evidence presented at the trial, Plowman solicited an undercover FBI agent to pay $5,000 in cash and make a $1,000 campaign contribution in exchange for influencing actions to help open a strip club in Indianapolis. At the time, Plowman was a major with the Indianapolis Police Department and a member of the City-County Council’s Metropolitan Development Committee.
He faces a maximum sentence on the extortion charge of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine and a maximum penalty on the bribery charge of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The case was prosecuted by Senior Trial Attorney Richard C. Pilger of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe H. Vaughn for the Southern District of Indiana. The case was investigated by the FBI.
