DENVER—Kenneth P. Hardin, age 60, of Aurora, Colorado, was indicted by a federal grand jury last week on charges of accepting bribes, United States Attorney John Walsh, FBI Special Agent in Charge Thomas P. Ravenelle, and IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge Stephen Boyd announced. Hardin appeared in court yesterday for his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Tafoya, where he was advised of his rights and the charges pending against him.

According to the indictment, Hardin was an employee of the Regional Transportation District in Colorado (“RTD”), holding the position of Senior Manager of RTD’s Civil Rights Division. In that position, Hardin’s duties at RTD included directing and managing the operations of RTD’s Civil Rights Division, which was responsible for furthering civil rights goals through regulatory compliance, complaint investigation, community outreach, and programmatic strategy development. The Disadvantaged Business Enterprise program is one of the programs that fell under the umbrella of RTD’s Civil Rights Division. As the Senior Manager of the Civil Rights Division, Hardin also served as RTD’s Diversity Officer, and his duties included taking a leadership role in developing diversity initiatives. RTD receives money from federal grants.

On or about the dates listed below, Hardin corruptly solicited and accepted money from a person intending to be influenced and rewarded in connection with RTD business involving more than $5,000.

Hardin was charged with four counts of bribery concerning programs receiving Federal funds each of which carries a penalty of not more than 10 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

“Colorado is rightly proud of its long, successful tradition of government free of bribes and corruption,” said U.S. Attorney John Walsh. “When we identify public corruption and bribery, the United States Attorney’s Office and federal law enforcement will pursue it tirelessly and prosecute it forcefully under the law.”

“The charges against Hardin illustrate the FBI’s commitment to investigate officials who use their positions of trust for personal gain,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Thomas P. Ravenelle. “This type of criminal activity undermines the public’s confidence in government activities that should be fair and transparent. To ensure these matters are fully addressed, we strongly encourage anyone who has information about corrupt activities at any level of government to call the FBI at 888-232-3270.”

“A senior official in government holds a position of trust in the eyes of the public and that trust was violated by accepting bribes,” said Stephen Boyd, Special Agent in Charge for IRS Criminal Investigation, Denver Field Office. “This successful investigation was due to the cooperative efforts of our law enforcement partners—U.S. Attorney’s Office and the FBI.”

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service—Criminal Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Pegeen D. Rhyne.

The charges contained in the indictment are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.