A former judge-executive in western Kentucky has pleaded guilty to multiple charges that include bank fraud, wire fraud and making false statements on loan applications.
Former Ballard County Judge-Executive Vickie Viniard entered the guilty pleas Monday in federal court in Paducah.
Federal prosecutors say Viniard took out five unauthorized loans, totaling more than $1 million, on behalf of the county from 2012 to 2014 while serving as judge-executive.
At the time of the loans, Ballard County suffered cash shortages.
Prosecutors say Viniard's scheme was to obtain short-term loans to fund county operations and make payments on bond obligations without seeking approval from the local fiscal court or informing the Kentucky Department of Local Government as required by state law.
WPSD-TV reportsthat sentencing was set for November 16.
