Sun Prairie IT director to plead guilty to fed theft charge

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The former information technology director for the city of Sun Prairie has agreed to plead guilty to a federal theft charge.

Randall Tyler is accused of stealing more than $500,000 from the city to build computers that he sold on the Internet.

A federal charging document alleges that for nearly nine years, Tyler used city funds to buy computer components that he used to build “high-performance” computer systems that he then sold to others, mainly through eBay.

The Wisconsin State Journal reports Tyler is scheduled to enter his guilty plea on March 25.

Defense attorney Marcus Berghahn says Tyler has cooperated with the investigation and is arranging to repay the money.

The theft charge carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.