Dennis Tyler (born December 4, 1942) is a convicted felon and former American politician who served as the

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

Muncie, Indiana Muncie ( ) is a city in Delaware County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. It is located in East Central Indiana about northeast of Indianapolis. At the 2020 census, the city's population was 65,195, down from 70,085 in the 2010 c ...

. On November 18, 2019, he was arrested by the

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...

and charged with theft of government funds. He was sentenced on November 10, 2021, to one year and one day, his mayoral term having expired on January 1, 2020. He was released from prison in April 2022.

Career

Tyler grew up on the south side of Muncie and is a graduate of

Muncie Central High School Muncie Central High School (MCHS) in Muncie, Indiana is a public high school. Opened in 1868, the school is today part of the Muncie Community Schools Corporation. It is the sole comprehensive high school of its school district, which covers th ...

. He served as a Line Captain for the Muncie Fire Department before retiring after 42 years of service. On January 4, 2006, he was sworn into office as a member of the

Indiana House of Representatives The Indiana House of Representatives is the lower house of the Indiana General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Indiana. The House is composed of 100 members representing an equal number of constituent districts. House mem ...

, elected as the Democratic Party candidate. He represented District 34 for six years. Tyler served on committees that focused on veteran's affairs, public safety, employment labor, pensions, roads, transportation, autism, and government reform. During his tenure in the House, Tyler was an advocate for victims of violent crimes, introducing legislation that in the absence of a will, no share of a deceased person's estate should go to a parent convicted of killing the other parent. Tyler resigned from the Legislature in December 2011 to assume the duties of Mayor, effective January 1, 2012. Tyler and his administration re-opened two fire stations, consolidated animal control, re-initiated summer programming in the parks, graded more than 30 lane miles of roads and 70 alleys, presented more than 50 proclamations, received almost $8 million in grants, and announced nearly 100 new jobs and over $3.2 million in new payroll, representing over $30 million in new capital investment. Tyler has been active in many community organizations, including

United Way United Way is an international network of over 1,800 local nonprofit organization, nonprofit fundraising affiliates. Prior to 2015, United Way was the largest nonprofit organization in the United States by donations from the public. Individual Un ...

, the

Knights of Pythias The Knights of Pythias is a Fraternal and service organizations, fraternal organization and secret society founded in Washington, D.C., on . The Knights of Pythias was the first fraternal organization to receive a charter under an Act of Co ...

, and the

Fraternal Order of Eagles Fraternal Order of Eagles (F.O.E.) is a fraternal organization that was founded on February 6, 1898, in Seattle, Washington, by a group of six theater-owners including John Cort (impresario), John Cort (the first president), brothers John Considin ...

. He has been the Chairman of the Labor and Industry Board of the

NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is an American civil rights organization formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E. B. Du&nbs ...

since 2010. Tyler did not run for re-election in 2019, and at year-end was succeeded by Republican Dan Ridenour, a member of the Muncie City Council and financial officer.

Arrest

On November 18, 2019, Tyler was arrested by the

at his home, based upon corruption allegations. The federal probe revealed bid-rigging, mail and wire fraud, fraudulent bids, money laundering, and other organized crime schemes that drained the city of funds. Six others were previously arrested as part of the probe into Tyler's administration, including his appointed building commissioner, Craig Nichols. Prior to his arrest, Tyler and his administration had been under investigation by the FBI and the

U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana The United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana (in case citations, S.D. Ind.) is a federal district court in Indiana. It was created in 1928 by an act of Congress that split Indiana into two separate districts, northern ...

since 2016. Tyler is expected to stand trial on August 10, 2020. He was represented by famed Indiana attorney James H. Voyles Jr. Tyler and federal prosecutors struck a deal in May 2021 to plead guilty to one count of theft of government funds. He was condemned to one year and one day in jail in November 2021. He was also sentenced to three years of supervised release and forced to pay $15,250 in restitution. In April, 2022 he was released from federal prison after serving more than five months.

References

External links

Office of the Mayor, City of Muncie, Indiana
Official website (archived)
Project Vote Smart - Representative Dennis Tyler (IN)
profile {{DEFAULTSORT:Tyler, Dennis Democratic Party members of the Indiana House of Representatives 1942 births Living people Mayors of Muncie, Indiana 21st-century mayors of places in Indiana 21st-century members of the Indiana General Assembly