Muncie Mayor Dennis Tyler Was Arrested By The FBI Because Of Corruption Probe

Dennis Tyler the Democratic mayor of Muncie, Indiana was arrested at his home on Monday morning according to the FBI amid an ongoing federal investigation that's resulted in the city's former building commissioner pleading guilty to money laundering and wire fraud.

The Tyler administration has been under scrutiny for years now as investigators conduct a federal corruption probe.

An FBI spokeswoman confirmed to the Muncie Star Press that the arrest warrant was executed at the 76-year-old Democratic mayor’s northside home.

Bavender referred any additional questions to the US Attorney's Office, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

"We are trying to determine what is going on this morning," said Sarah Beach, information coordinator with the city of Muncie. "Once we get some information on it, we will release addition information."

Tyler is a Democrat who's been mayor for eight years after serving in the Indiana House and didn't seek reelection this year. Prosecutors alleged the city's building commissioner steered work to companies he owned and then billed the city more than $376,000 for demolition work that was either never done or performed at inflated prices.

Muncie’s city administration first drew the attention of federal investigators in 2016, when questions arose about demolition contracts that the city had been awarding.

The federal corruption-related investigation in Muncie has led to indictments against five other people, prosecutors have said. Earlier this year, Nichols pleaded guilty to two counts and was sentenced to two years in prison, court records show.

Nichols pleaded guilty last January to wire fraud and money laundering and was sentenced to two years in federal prison, according to the report.

Muncie, a city northeast of Indianapolis, has a population of about 70,000 people.