Kentucky Registry Of Election Finance Upholds Complaints Against Steve Henry, Refers Matter To Special Prosecutor. This Is Not Good News For Steve.

Read more here, or excerpts below:

FRANKFORT — The Kentucky Registry of Election Finance upheld several complaints Wednesday against former Lt. Gov. Steve Henry’s unsuccessful 2007 campaign for governor and forwarded them to a prosecutor. ...

But the registry said the campaign did accept contributions from six people who were “straw contributors” — people who actually don’t contribute to a campaign but whose names are used as contributors by someone else.

Henry said last night that the charge is “ridiculous.” “How was I to know anything about that?” he asked. “I think that has happened to many candidates.”

The panel also said the campaign inaccurately reported the rental value of three computers as Henry’s in-kind contribution to the slate when he did not personally own them; provided incomplete descriptions of contributors; and spent campaign funds which were not first deposited in the campaign’s primary depository.

Henry said there were “mistakes” in the campaign accounts because the campaign had to open a second account at a bank. He said his wife, Heather French Henry, bought the computers through a credit card and he helped pay for them.

“They were paid for by private dollars,” he said.

The registry referred the violations to its executive director, Sarah Jackson, and general counsel Dennis to decide appropriates fines.

It also forwarded its findings to special prosecutor James Crawford, Commonwealth’s attorney for Carroll, Grant and Owen counties who is conducting a criminal investigation of Henry’s alleged 2007 campaign finance violations.