INDIANAPOLIS - The verdict is in for a former city-county councilman charged with bribery and extortion.
Lincoln Plowman was found guilty of bribery and the solicitation of a bribe.
"I didn't think I did anything wrong," Plowman said after the verdict came down.
The judge granted Plowman home detention until his sentencing, which will take place within the next 70 days. He could face anywhere from 41 months to 30 years in prison.
Prosecutors argued against home detection, saying that Plowman was a flight risk because he understood undercover techniques as a police officer, and that he had been trained to use false ID and had connections to Costa Rica.
Plowman's attorney said his client has surrendered his weapons, ammunition and passport and did not pose a flight risk.
Plowman will be allowed to continue living at home with his wife and two children until his sentencing. He'll be able to work at his Greenwood factory job and he'll also be able to go to the doctor or attend church.
Plowman spent three hours defending himself on the stand Wednesday and closing arguments were heard Thursday.
Undercover video shows an FBI agent posing as a strip club developer giving Plowman thousands of dollars for help with zoning issues. Plowman said he thought he was entering into a legitimate business deal.
US attorney Joe Hogsett issued the following statement following the verdict:
"Public Office in Indiana is not for sale.
No man or woman is above the law. To have meaning, those words must be tested, and over the last two weeks, they have been in a courtroom in the building behind me. The jury's verdict has given those words meaning.
Mr. Plowman attempted to sell his influence over zoning as a city-county councillor. The jury's guilty verdict means that public office holders are not for sale.
Mr. Plowman solicited bribes for strip clubs while employed as an officer with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.
The jury's guilty verdict means that IMPD officers are not above the law.
All Hoosiers should be confident that when a public official puts a 'for sale' sign on his office, the United States Attorney's Office will hold that individual accountable. When any individual - no matter what position they hold - believes they are above the law, the United States Attorney's Office will hold that person accountable."
