Former Commonweath’s Attorney Suspended
A criminal conviction has drawn an interim suspension of a former Commonwealth’s Attorney by the Kentucky Supreme Court.
The United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky had a press release
Late Friday, a federal jury sitting in Lexington convicted Ronnie Goldy, 51, the former Commonwealth’s Attorney for Bath, Rowan, Menifee, and Montgomery Counties, of honest services wire fraud, use of an interstate facility with the intent to carry on unlawful activity, and bribery concerning a program that receives federal funds. Goldy was convicted of all 14 counts alleged in his indictment.
According to evidence presented, Goldy maintained a personal relationship with a woman, which was sexual in nature, that included encounters and solicitations and acceptance of sexually explicit images and videos of the woman. On multiple occasions during the scheme, Goldy used his position as the Commonwealth’s Attorney to perform official actions, or to exert pressure and influence on other public officials to perform official actions, benefiting the woman. Goldy knew these sexually explicit images and periodic sexual encounters were provided in exchange for his willingness to perform, or pressure others to perform, official actions benefitting the woman with whom he had the relationship.
“Instead of doing the job he was elected to perform, Mr. Goldy chose to victimize a vulnerable individual and exchange his law enforcement authority for things that benefitted him,” said Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky. “Whenever law enforcement officials violate their obligation to uphold the law, it does grave damage to victims and to the Justice system itself. This prosecution is a first step in restoring the public’s faith in the system and in holding him accountable for his disgraceful conduct.”
Lex 18 covered the trial and verdict as well as the story told by the key witness
He is accused of doing legal favors for a criminal defendant named Misty Helton in exchange for nude photos and videos of her. The allegations came to light after another attorney released hundreds of screenshots of alleged Facebook messages between Helton and Goldy.
Goldy’s attorney, Michael Curtis, told jurors during his closing argument that the entire case hinged on Helton’s testimony at trial and that as a repeated criminal defendant, her credibility was in question.
When given a chance to respond to Curtis’ arguments, federal prosecutor Andy Boone said jurors did not need to rely only on Helton’s testimony because the hundreds of verified Facebook messages between the two backed up everything she said.
During his initial closing arguments, Boone walked jurors through some of the hundreds of pages of messages at issue in the case. He highlighted the ones he said showed that Goldy solicited a video from Helton.
Curtis and Goldy have said that the only video Goldy wanted from Helton was one she said she had of another person involved in illegal activity.
Boone told jurors that they could use common sense to deduce what kind of video was asking for based on the tone of the messages, including one request for a video that immediately followed Helton sending nude photos of herself.
Curtis argues that the whole situation was political, pointing to the fact that the screenshots messages between Goldy and Helton were first released by an attorney representing Beth Maze. Maze is a former circuit court judge in Goldy’s circuit who was accused of interfering when her ex-husband was charged with drug offenses. Goldy’s attorney argued that the video of criminal activity Goldy was trying to get from Helton allegedly involved Maze’s ex-husband.
Special Judge Phillip Patton dismissed forgery and tampering charges against former Judge Beth Maze, who had been publicly reprimanded by the Kentucky Supreme Court for improperly intervening when her ex-husband, with whom she was still close, was charged with possession of controlled substances and other offenses.
Maze was also charged with crimes for making it appear that public officials, including Goldy, had approved her order for testing her former husband’s blood at a hospital.
(Mike Frisch)