Good Thunder mayor sentenced for contract violation, theft and embezzlement charges dismissed

The mayor of Good Thunder has been sentenced on one charge Tuesday, while six other charges, including theft and embezzlement, were dismissed.

Robert Anderson was given a sentence of three days in prison at the Blue Earth County Jail Tuesday for a violating his contract as a public official.

Anderson already has three days credit for time served and will be placed on two years of probation. If he successfully completes his probation, the contract violation charge will be dismissed.

The mayor of Good Thunder, which is about 20 minutes south of Mankato, was arrested on suspicion of fraud back in 2022.

Anderson was charged with embezzlement of public funds, two counts of theft, and four counts of violating his contract as a public official.

According to court documents, the Blue Earth County Sheriff’s Office received information from the Office of the State Auditor with concerns about one of the city’s purchases of real property in 2021. The office said that Anderson appeared to have a personal financial interest or may have personally benefitted financially from the purchase.

The city also reportedly violated a state statute when it contracted Anderson’s business, RJ Anderson LLC, for services on the property, according to the criminal complaint.

The city also paid nearly $25,000 for concrete materials sent to Anderson’s business, but OSA found that some of the money was used for non-city expenses.

Despite the charges, Anderson remained mayor of Good Thunder and was re-elected to the position this past November with over 83% of the vote.