Force Multiplier Solutions CEO Robert C. Leonard was today sentenced to seven years in federal prison and ordered to pay $125 million in restitution for orchestrating a bribery scheme that decimated Dallas County Schools.
The New Orleans resident, now 71, pleaded guilty on August 9th to conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud. His actions helped bring down several public officials, including then Mayor Pro Tem Dwaine Caraway and former DCS Superintendent Ricky Sorrells.
According to plea papers, Leonard funneled over $3.5 million in bribes through ELF Investments and various other means to secure contracts for his company’s stop-arm camera technology. He also donated $250,000 to campaign contributions that were later used for personal expenses by DCS Board President Larry Duncan.
Former officials Caraway and Duncan received sentences of 56 months and six months’ home confinement respectively, while Sorrells and Slater Swartwood are awaiting sentencing. Dallas County Schools, which had aimed to purchase stop-arm cameras with property tax funds, shut down in 2017, carrying a debt of approximately $103 million.
U.S. Attorney Erin Nealy Cox emphasized the importance of restoring faith in the system: “The U.S. Attorney’s Office will be relentless in its pursuit of anyone involved in bribing public officials.” The investigation was conducted by the FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation unit, with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew Wirmani, Marcus Busch, Chad Meacham, and Joseph Magliolo handling the prosecution.
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Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes|Public Corruption
- Source: Official Source ↗
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