Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway said on April 10 that former Kentucky state Rep. Forrest Waide pleaded guilty to violations of Kentucky campaign finance laws.
Waide, a Republican state representative from 2010 to 2014, pleaded guilty in Franklin Circuit Court to attempting to accept illegal campaign contributions and attempted unlawful campaign expenditures. He was sentenced to 12 months in jail, which will be probated and supervised for two years.
“I appreciate the hard work of my Department of Criminal Investigations and my Office of Special Prosecutions for holding public officials accountable for violating campaign finance laws,” Conway said.
Waide’s violations are related to his 2010 campaign for state representative in which he illegally accepted campaign contributions from Liberty Rehabilitation and also used campaign funds for illegal expenditures. He pursued personal reimbursements for campaign advertising expenses that were unreal or paid for by Liberty Rehabilitation.
"Our position all along has been that Mr. Waide needs to accept responsibility for his actions and make amends,” Liberty Rehabilitation Council John Whitfield said. “That process formally began today in Franklin Circuit Court. We appreciate the hard work and dedication of the office of the attorney general."
Waide agreed to pay restitution of $7,754.12 to Liberty Rehabilitation and others. After his indictment, Waide reimbursed Liberty Rehabilitation $7,566.24, making the total amount of restitution $15,320.36.