KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A plea deal involving former Independence attorney John Carnes and federal prosecutors revealed the convicted felon earned a commission on a city contract at the heart of a years-long FBI probe.
Federal prosecutors announced the agreement Monday, in which Carnes pleaded guilty to $857,000 in tax evasion.
The investigation into Carnes' finances revealed that Carnes deposited $232,000 into attorney trust accounts. The money came from fees related to the sale of Rockwood Golf Club and the demolition of the Missouri City Power Plant, two multi-million dollar contracts that sparked controversy and confusion among officials at Independence City Hall.
In 2017, the city purchased Rockwood Golf Club and turned it into a solar farm.
During a Monday phone call with KSHB 41 I-Team's Jessica McMaster, Carnes admitted he earned a commission from the sale of Rockwood Golc Club. He did not address Missouri City.
"I coordinated the... with my own knowledge, I understood the city was looking for a solar panel, a place to put solar panels," Carnes said. "I, myself, knew how the grid worked over in that area and I realized it could be put there, so I got the solar people with Titan Fish and the city so the whole deal could be transacted."
Carnes' statements this week contradict details of a 2018 phone conversation with the KSHB 41 I-Team, in which he said he had no involvement with Rockwood other than hoping the city would buy the property and turn it into a park.
Investigating John Carnes
Carnes' tax evasion indictment stemmed from an investigation launched by the KSHB I-Team six years ago.
In 2018, the KSHB I-Team exposed that members of the Independence City Council met privately with Carnes to discuss the Rockwood solar project and the decommissioning of the Missouri City Power Plant.
The I-Team began digging into why council members met behind closed doors to discuss city business with a convicted felon.
In 1989, Carnes, a former Independence City Council member, was sent to prison for bank fraud and bribing a fellow city council member to vote on contracts that would benefit his clients.
In 2018, the I-Team discovered a lunch receipt showing former council members Curt Dougherty and Tom Van Camp, along with current council member John Perkins, meeting with Carnes about the utility projects.
The I-Team also exposed Carnes met with the one-time owner of Rockwood Golf Club, Ron Bruch, and Tom Van Camp to discuss selling the property to the city.
During a 2018 phone call with Carnes, Carnes told the I-Team he met with the original land owner of Rockwood in the hopes he'd preserve the land and turn it into a park.
Carnes said he had no further involvement.
A few months later, Joe Campbell, who operates under the name Titan Fish, contacted Ron Bruch and purchased the land.
In a follow-up phone call with Carnes in 2018, Carnes told the KSHB 41 I-Team he spoke to Campbell prior to Campbell's call to Bruch.
Carnes told the KSHB 41 I-Team that Campbell wanted to enlist his legal services for the real estate transaction.
However, Carnes said he declined to work with Campbell because Campbell planned to use the land for Section 8 Housing.
Carnes said that's where his involvement ended.
Two months later, Campbell sold the property to the city and earned a profit of $435,000.
Shortly after the KSHB 41 I-Team investigated the Rockwood solar project, the FBI launched a probe into Independence and began interviewing city leaders about Rockwood and Missouri City.
While Carnes initially denied closing any deals on the sale of Rockwood Golf Club, in light of the FBI probe that proves Carnes did profit off the deal, Carnes now tells the KSHB 41 I-Team he did earn a "commission," saying everything was done "on the up and up."
During Monday's phone call with the KSHB 41 I-Team, Carnes would not identify who paid him a commission on the sale of Rockwood, but Carnes did say he was compensated by the person who sold the property to the city.
When asked if Joe Campbell is the one who paid him, Carnes said, "I'd rather not get that guy involved in this."
In a phone call to Campbell, Campbell told the KSHB 41 I-Team he doesn't remember if he paid Carnes.
"You'll have to write whatever you're gonna write," Campbell said. "I don't remember. I don't have any of that stuff with me and I can't tell you what was what."
Campbell was pressed again by the KSHB 41 I-team: "You don't remember if you paid Carnes a commission?"
"I got no comment at this time," Campbell replied.
In regards to the tax evasion, Carnes pleaded guilty to failing to pay $857,000.
According to the investigation, Carnes failed to pay taxes for various years dating back to 1990.
Carnes faces up to five years in prison without parole, which he says, wouldn't be so bad.
"If I go to prison, I'll lose weight, get my blood pressure down, probably help restore my health," Carnes said. "It won't be that bad... and I won't have people like you (reporter) calling me."
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