As Expected, Federal Grand Jury Indicts Richie Farmer On Multiple Felony Charges.

Farmer indicted on felony fraud charges  

The attorney for former Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer said Monday his client will plead not guilty to felony charges of misappropriating state funds.J. Guthrie True told reporters in Frankfort on Monday that Farmer is not in custody and will appear in court for his arraignment April 30.

In an indictment unsealed Monday, Farmer was charged with four federal felony counts of misappropriating state funds and one count of soliciting goods.

The former state basketball icon was the state's agriculture commissioner from 2004 to the end of 2011. The indictment charges him with using his state position to obtain thousands of dollars' worth of gifts, hotel rooms, clothing and computers. It also charges him with hiring friends who did little or no work for the Kentucky Department of Agriculture.
"Throughout his tenure, Farmer wrongfully used public funds and KDA resources to obtain goods and services for himself and his family," the 13-page indictment said.

If convicted on all counts, the 43-year-old Farmer faces a maximum of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
True said he was "disappointed but not surprised by today's indictment."
At a news conference in Frankfort, True said he and his client were aware of "the plan to indict Richie for several weeks now."
True said he viewed the federal indictment as "a dangerous precedent," saying the issues raised in it are state matters.
"The manner in which the elected commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Agriculture conducts his business is a political, not a legal, issue," he said.

U.S. attorney Kerry Harvey declined to say if others may be indicted in the case.
"The investigation continues, and I wouldn't speculate about the course that that might take," Harvey said.

Along with the criminal charges, federal prosecutors want Farmer to give up $450,000 in either cash or assets.
Farmer, a homegrown athlete from impoverished Clay County, remains one of the biggest names for fans of one of the country's most successful college basketball programs. He was a shooting guard for the University of Kentucky's Wildcats basketball team from 1988 to 1992, a team known as "The Unforgettables."
His jersey hangs in the rafters of Rupp Arena alongside those of Dan Issel, Pat Riley, Kenny Walker and Sam Bowie.

Farmer had been a rising star within the Kentucky GOP until a 2011 unsuccessful run for lieutenant governor on a ticket with Republican state Senate President David Williams. They lost overwhelmingly to incumbent Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear.

In March, Farmer was charged with 42 Kentucky ethics violations, a state record.
The indictment, which was handed up Friday, said Farmer used an account that included state funds to purchase an excessive amount of gifts for visiting state agriculture commissioners for a 2008 national conference. The indictment alleges he kept the gifts that were left over.
"For the thirteen commissioners who attended the 2008 (Southern Association of State Departments of Agriculture) conference (a number that included Farmer), the KDA ordered twenty-five customized Remington rifles, twenty-five rifle cases, fifty-two embossed Case knives, and fifty personalized cigar boxes," the indictment says. "... For the approximately thirty-nine KDA employees who worked at the conference, the KDA ordered 175 customized watches. Following the conference, Farmer misappropriated and took possession of the excess `gifts' for his personal use."

The grand jury also accused Farmer of using agriculture department funds to benefit his family and friends, including naming at least three people as "special assistants" who did little or no work for the department.
Farmer directed the "special assistants" to perform personal tasks for him on work hours, including building a basketball court at his home, installing flooring in his attic and organizing his personal effects, according to the indictment.
Farmer approved the salaries and overtime of the assistants who performed the work, the grand jury said. One of these assistants was Farmer's girlfriend, the indictment alleges.

Farmer is also accused of having Agriculture Department employees drive him on personal errands, babysit his children, mow his lawn and transport his dog.
On the solicitation count, the grand jury alleged Farmer in 2009 accepted an unnamed "thing of value" from a motor vehicle dealership in Whitley County in exchange for a state grant.

Editor's note: Read the 13 page indictment.

Also, read the state ethics charges against Richie, and the audit report, which started everything rolling.