By Dan Spalding
News Now Warsaw
WARSAW — Nearly ten years after the corruption was discovered, the city of Warsaw finally got some retribution involving the case of Lacy Francis.
Francis, the former street superintendent for the city of Warsaw, was among several convicted for their role in a scheme in which he and a contractor — Marc Campbell and his company Proform — bilked the city out of hundreds of thousands of dollars by billing the city for relining far more underground pipe than what was actually done.
The case led to an extensive effort by the government to recoup some lost money. Wages were garnished and property was seized.
And now, a civil agreement with Campbell has resulted in a payment to the city for $200,000. Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita helped recover the money.
The case has dragged on for so long that the arrival of the check was a bit of a surprise, said Mayor Joe Thallemer.
“Having been such a long time, it kind of just suddenly appeared and when we found out what it was from, it was a pretty significant amount — the largest amount we’ve received,” Thallemer said.
The money has been placed in the cumulative capital development fund which is used for infrastructure improvements.
The total amount of money was upward of $350,000, but the Indiana State Board of Accounts received about $150,000 before the remaining amount was sent to Warsaw, according to city attorney Scott Reust.
According to the Times-Union, Campbell pleaded guilty in January 2017 and was sentenced to one year of home detention and five years on probation, according to another previous article.
Francis was sentenced to 13 years in the Indiana Department of Corrections with 11 suspended. Mildred Francis, Lacy’s then-wife, had six counts of money laundering in connection to the scandal filed against her, and in October 2018 she pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Each of the defendants was ordered to pay restitution and the city filed a lawsuit Sept. 12, 2018,
