Ex-official sentenced in Indianapolis Land Bank bribery

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Federal authorities say a former Indianapolis city official has been sentenced after being found guilty of accepting bribes and kickbacks while overseeing a program that sells vacant and tax-delinquent properties.

The office of U.S. Attorney Josh Minkler said Monday that 32-year-old Reggie Walton was sentenced to nine years in prison and fined $250,000. He was convicted in March on multiple fraud and bribery charges.

Walton is the former assistant administrator of abandoned buildings in Indianapolis. Prosecutors alleged he used his city post as supervisor of the Indianapolis Land Bank to enrich himself.

Minkler's office said Walton and a co-defendant took bribes and kickbacks to facilitate fraudulent property sales to nonprofits that would then sell the property to for-profit businesses. According to Minkler's office, Walton and the co-defendant would get kickback payments from the nonprofits from sales proceeds.