The Kentucky Attorney General’s Office has announced the indictment of western Kentucky state Rep. Ben Waide on two counts of felony campaign finance violations.
Rep. Ben Waide, a Republican from Madisonville, is charged with funnelling $16,000 in funds from a company he founded, Liberty Rehabilitation, to bankroll his 2010 election campaign and to reimburse himself for travel expenses he didn’t incur.
Waide, who is currently in a race for Hopkins County Judge-Executive, could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted and up to $20,000 in fines, according to the attorney general’s office.
Waide is also a subject of an ongoing civil suit filed by his former business partners who allege that Waide misused about $30,000 worth of company money for similar ends, including taking expensive unauthorized trips with his wife.
A call requesting comment from Waide’s lawyer, Hopkinsville attorney Bill Deatherage, was not immediately returned.
