Committed offenses from 2010 to 2014
FRANKFORT, Ky. (April 10, 2015) — Attorney General Jack Conway today announced the plea of guilty and sentencing of former Kentucky State Representative Forrest “Ben” Waide, of Madisonville for violations of Kentucky campaign finance laws.
This morning, in Franklin Circuit Court, Waide pleaded guilty to Attempting to Accept Illegal Campaign Contributions and Attempted Unlawful Campaign Expenditures.
Waide received a 12 month jail sentence, which will be probated and supervised for two years. Waide, who served as a state representative from 2010 to 2014, has agreed to pay restitution to Liberty Rehabilitation and others in the amount of $7,754.12. After being indicted, Waide reimbursed Liberty Rehabilitation $7,566.24 bringing the total restitution amount to $15,320.36.
Waide’s crimes relate to his 2010 campaign for state representative and the results of an investigation conducted by Conway’s Department of Criminal Investigations. The investigation was conducted in response to a January 2014 complaint filed with the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance (KREF) by shareholders of Liberty Rehabilitation, PSC.
Waide illegally accepted campaign contributions from Liberty Rehabilitation, a company in Madisonville where he was a partner. Waide also used campaign funds for illegal expenditures.
Waide sought personal reimbursements for campaign advertising expenses that were either nonexistent or paid for by Liberty Rehabilitation.
Add Comment