WILKES-BARRE -- He is accused of being the mastermind of the so-called "Ghost Riders" scandal at the Luzerne County Transportation Authority and cheating the state out of millions of dollars.
Newswatch 16 has learned of a plea deal that could keep LCTA Executive Director Stanley Strelish out of prison.
Lawyers for Strelish will recommend he be sentenced to probation, and sources say the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office will not object to that recommendation.
It will be up to a judge in Dauphin County to approve or reject the plea deal.
In June, 2014 the state Attorney General's Office arrested Stanley Strelish, claiming he helped engineer the so-called "Ghost Riders" scandal.
Arrest papers show Strelish ordered bus drivers to inflate the number of seniors riding buses for free. The state would reimburse the LCTA based on senior ridership.
PennDOT claims it paid more than $3.16 million to the LCTA as a result of the scam.
Prosecutors say it was done so the agency could collect more money to guarantee jobs for bus drivers and give pay raises to Strelish and other officials.
As of now, there is no word if Strelish's co-defendant, LCTA operations manager Robb Henderson, has reached a similar deal.
Both Strelish and Henderson were placed on administrative leave after their arrests last year.