Indiana casino exec charged with campaign finance violations

The charges involve over $25,000 in illegal corporate contributions through straw donors to a former senator’s 2016 campaign.

US.- Vice president of Spectacle Entertainment, John Keller, has been indicted on federal charges of illegally funnelling campaign contributions to a former state lawmaker’s failed campaign for the US House.

He is alleged to have used straw donors to channel more than $25,000 in illegal corportate contributions to Brent Waltz’s campaign in 2016.

Keller was the executive of Centaur Gaming at the time of the alleged crimes. Centaur sold Indiana’s racetracks to Caesars Entertainment back in 2018.

Waltz was also arrested, and a search warrant was obtained by the FBI to search his Greenwood home.

The state gaming commission has forced Keeler and another executive from the Indiana-based company to give up their ownership stake at the new Terre Haute casino project earlier in the year after a political consultant pleaded guilty to arranging for several people to write campaign cheques with casino company money. 

Spectacle Entertainment said in a statement: “It is important to remember that Mr. Keeler is presumed innocent of all charges. Spectacle Entertainment will have no further comment at this time.”