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Waide Attorney: Indictment Is 'Politically Motivated'

Rep. Ben Waide
LRC Public Info
Rep. Ben Waide

An attorney for Kentucky state Rep. Ben Waide says the indictment against his client is “politically motivated.”

Hopkinsville attorney Bill Deatherage tells Kentucky Public Radio that charges of campaign finance violations against Waide - a Republican from Madisonville who is currently running for Hopkins County Judge-Executive - are without merit. 

“Ben Waide strongly maintains his innocence, and he intends to aggressively defend himself against these charges, and he believes they are politically motivated,” Deatherage said.

The Kentucky Attorney General’s Office announced Tuesday that a Franklin County grand jury had indicted Waide on two counts of alleged felony campaign finance violations by using company money to bankroll his 2010 election campaign.

Deatherage suggested that the indictment is a product of collusion between Waide’s former business partners and investigators in the Attorney General’s office.

“Those involved in the civil case filed against Ben by some business partners and others who seem to have been aggressively involved in the Attorney General’s investigation,” Deatherage said.

Waide could face up to 10 years in prison and up to $20,000 in fines, if convicted.

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