As Planned, Richie Farmer Enters Plea For Public Corruption, Will Be Sentenced January 14Th.

            

Ex-hoops star pleads guilty in corruption case

FRANKFORT, Ky. — Former University of Kentucky basketball star turned politician Richie Farmer has entered a guilty plea to government corruption charges in a deal with prosecutors.
Farmer, whose jersey hangs as a monument in the rafters of Rupp Area, faces about two years in prison for misdeeds while serving as the state's agriculture commissioner.
He appeared Friday morning in U.S. District Court in Frankfort.

"I let down the people of Kentucky, I let down my family and friends, and for this I am truly sorry," Farmer said during the proceeding.

Farmer was accused of using Department of Agriculture employees to work on his Frankfort home, including building a basketball court in his backyard. Prosecutors said Farmer also hired friends, including his girlfriend, as special assistants who did little or no work for the agency. And they accused Farmer of using government employees to do personal errands, including babysitting his children, mowing his yard, even chauffeuring his dog.