Former school security liaison gets 16 months for kickbacks

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - A federal judge has sentenced a former sheriff's deputy to 16 months after he pleaded guilty in a kickback scheme that cost a western Indiana school district more than $80,000.

Frank Shahadey also must spend two years on supervised release. He pleaded guilty last month to charges of wire fraud and theft of government funds.

Judge Jane Magnus Stinson on Tuesday also ordered him to pay $80,500 in restitution to the Vigo County School Corp., but that would be cut in half of co-defendant Franklin Fennell is convicted. Fennell's trial is set for December.

Shahadey already has spent 11 months in custody. He was a former school security liaison.

Fennell oversaw the district's facilities and transportation support. Prosecutors say he and Shahadey took kickbacks from a contractor over 2ˆ½ years.