RTD Supervisor Indicted On Charges Of Accepting Bribes

DENVER (CBS4)- A federal grand jury has indicted an RTD supervisor on charges of accepting bribes.

Kenneth Hardin, 60, of Aurora appeared in court on Wednesday 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 where he held the position of Senior Manager of RTD's Civil Rights Division.

That division is responsible for furthering the 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 the division.

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.

April 30, 2014 $1,100
May 15, 2014 $1,000
June 26, 2014 $1,000
Sept. 15, 2014 $2,000

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."