Summary

On March 23, 2016, FTA suspended Kenneth Hardin, a former Colorado Regional Transportation District (RTD) employee in Denver, CO. Hardin’s suspension was based on the outcome of a Federal trial in February 2016 in U.S. District Court in Denver. He was found guilty of accepting bribes in exchange for protecting and providing information to a DBE. Hardin was a senior manager in RTD’s civil rights division whose duties included directing regulatory compliance, investigating complaints, community outreach, program strategy development, and overseeing compliance with the DBE program.

In 2014, FTA provided an estimated $218 million in grants to RTD. That same year, on November 5, Hardin was indicted on Federal charges alleging he solicited, demanded, and accepted 4 bribes totaling $5,100 with the intent to influence RTD transactions involving federally-funded contracts. At trial, a Federal jury found Hardin guilty on three of the four bribery counts.

DOT-OIG conducted this investigation jointly with the FBI and the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation.

Note: Exclusion actions (suspensions and debarments) are frequently for a specific period of time and the System for Award Management (sam.gov) should be consulted to find whether a company is currently excluded.