Brent Waltz

Darryl Brent Waltz Jr. (born September 7, 1973)[3] is an American politician and businessman. He served in the Indiana Senate from 2005 to 2017, representing southern Marion County and northern Johnson County which comprise the 36th Senate District of Indiana following his defeat of Senate Finance Chairman Larry Borst in the May 2004 Republican primary election.[4] His investment banking company, The Baron Group, Inc., specializes in mergers, acquisitions, and capitalization of small to midsize private companies in the transportation and manufacturing industries. In 2016 Waltz announced he would not seek reelection in order to run for Indiana's 9th congressional district being vacated by Congressman Todd Young.[5] Waltz was unsuccessful in this campaign and subsequently indicted for violating federal campaign finance law.[6]

Brent Waltz
Member of the Indiana Senate
from the 36th district
In office
2005–2017
Preceded byLarry Borst
Succeeded byJack Sandlin
Johnson County Councilman
from the At-Large district
In office
2001–2005
Serving with Keith Wright, Ron West[1]
Preceded byEd Zehr, Charles Littleton[1]
Succeeded byJosh McCarty, John L. Price[2]
Personal details
Born (1973-09-07) September 7, 1973
Political partyRepublican
ResidenceGreenwood, Indiana
Alma materWabash College
ProfessionInvestment banker, politician, felon
Websitebrentwaltz.com

Early life

Waltz was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, on September 7, 1973, to Darryl Brent Waltz, Sr. and Geraldine Chaney Waltz. He is an only child. His father was a senior vice president of an Indiana savings and loan. Waltz graduated from Center Grove High School in 1992 as a National Merit Scholar. At 16, he became an Eagle Scout with bronze, silver, and gold palms. After high school, he attended Wabash College where he completed his degree as a history major with a minor in political science in 31⁄2 years.[7]

Political career

Three out of four of Waltz's great-grandfathers held elected office in Indiana and Kentucky. At the age of 26 he was elected an at-large member of the Johnson County Council in 2000. He was elected President of the Johnson County in 2003 and re-election his last year on the council in 2004.[8]

In a political upset, Waltz unseated 36-year incumbent and Senate Finance Committee chairman Larry Borst in the 2004 Republican primary by just 34 votes—6,062 to 6,024.[9][10] He defeated his Democratic opponent in the November 2004 election and was reelected to a second term in 2008. Subsequently, in 2012 he won re-election for a third term.[11]

Waltz announced he would not seek re-election for his Senate seat in 2016 in order to pursue Indiana's 9th congressional district being vacated by congressman Todd Young.

Business career

In 1995 Waltz founded his investment banking company, The Baron Group, Inc. - named after a company in a Jeffery Archer novel.[12] In 2001 Waltz and two business partners began a logistics and courier company named Velox Express.[13]

Scandal and criminal indictment

On September 29, 2020, Waltz was indicted on 5 counts related to violations of federal campaign finance law related to his 2016 campaign. On April 12, 2022, Brent Waltz pleaded guilty to two felony counts, making and receiving conduit contributions and making false statements to the FBI.[14][15] On August 17, 2022, District Judge James R. Sweeney II sentenced Waltz to ten months in prison in addition to being supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for two years following his release from federal prison and to pay a $40,500 fine.[16]

References
  1. "8 Nov 2000, Page 16 - The Indianapolis Star at Newspapers.com". Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  2. "5 May 2004, Page 73 - The Indianapolis Star at Newspapers.com". Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  3. Indianapolis Star October 21, 2004
  4. Daily Journal May 3, 2004
  5. "Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller to seek U.S. House seat". Indianapolis Star. Retrieved 2017-09-27.
  6. "Former Indiana State Senator and Gaming Executive Indicted for Violations of Federal Campaign Finance Laws". Department of Justice. Retrieved 2020-09-29.
  7. SpinWeb. "Indiana Senate Republicans". www.in.gov. Retrieved 2017-09-27.
  8. "Brent Waltz - U.S. Congress". Archived from the original on 2015-08-01. Retrieved 2015-07-30.
  9. Daily Journal May 4, 2004
  10. Indianapolis Star May 3, 2004
  11. "Brent Waltz - Ballotpedia". Retrieved 2017-09-27.
  12. "Brent Waltz | Indiana Senate Republicans". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-07-30.
  13. Veloxexpress.com website
  14. "Former Indiana State Senator Brent Walz Admits Role in Casino Straw Donor Scheme". Indianapolis Star. Retrieved 2022-04-12.
  15. U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Indiana, Department of Justice (April 11, 2022). "Former Indiana State Senator Pleads Guilty to Federal Campaign Finance Violation and Making False Statements to the FBI".{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  16. "Former Indiana State Senator and an Indianapolis Casino Executive Sentenced to Federal Prison for Criminal Election Finance Schemes" (Press release). Indianapolis: U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana. August 17, 2022. Retrieved August 21, 2022.
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