The mayor of Muncie, Indiana, was arrested by the FBI in a corruption probe
Updated 12:05 PM EST, Mon November 18, 2019
(CNN) Dennis Tyler, the Democratic mayor of Muncie, Indiana, was arrested at his home on Monday morning, according to the FBI.
An arrest warrant was executed at Tyler's home at 7:30 a.m., and he is currently in FBI custody, according to Chris Bavender, spokeswoman with the FBI in Indianapolis.
The US Attorney's Office in the Southern District of Indiana said acting US Attorney Josh Minkler will hold a press conference Monday afternoon to announce charges related to public corruption. Sarah Beach, information coordinator with Muncie, said the city will release further information when they receive it.
Tyler's administration has been under scrutiny for several years now as investigators conducted a federal corruption probe, CNN affiliate WXIN reported. The Star Press first reported in 2016 that the FBI was investigating Muncie's former building commissioner Craig Nichols and the Muncie Sanitary District for possible wrongdoing.
Nichols, who was appointed by Tyler, was charged in a 2017 federal indictment with wire fraud, money laundering and theft for allegedly fraudulently awarding contracts to his own private company, the US Attorney's Office said.
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.
Tyler, who grew up in Muncie and worked as a line captain for the Muncie Fire Department, has led the city as mayor since 2012. He did not run for reelection earlier this month, and Republican Dan Ridenour was elected to take over as mayor in 2020.
Muncie, a city northeast of Indianapolis, has a population of about 70,000 people.
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