Businessman at Center of Dallas County Schools Bribery Scandal Gets 7 Years in Federal Prison

Robert Leonard Jr. used to drive a Bentley. He owned a Preston Hollow mansion on a private lake. And he kept lavish apartments in New Orleans and Santa Monica, Calif.Now the Louisiana businessman, who had lucrative contracts with school districts, will spend years in federal prison for his role in a bribery scandal that enriched him as it bilked Dallas County taxpayers out of tens of millions of dollars.U.S. District Judge Barbara Lynn on Thursday sentenced Leonard, 71, to 84 months in prison after Leonard pleaded guilty last year to one count of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud.Lynn also ordered Leonard to pay $125 million in restitution — although she said the likelihood of all that being repaid was "remote."Leonard is expected to begin serving his sentence in July.Leonard ran a Louisiana company called Force Multiplier Solutions that contracted with school districts to put security cameras on school buses. The cameras were supposed to catch drivers who blew past the flashing red lights and stop signs on buses. School districts could keep part of the revenue generated by ticketing drivers.  Continue reading...