“Corruption by public officials – any public official – is a
priority of my office,” said United States Attorney Mike Stuart. “The people of West Virginia have worked too
hard and too long to tolerate misconduct that strikes at the heart of the
public’s trust by their elected officials.
I believe it is a fundamental right of every West Virginian to have
honest government with public officials worthy of the greatness of our
citizens.”
The Information relates to Justice Ketchum’s repeated
personal use of a State of West Virginia vehicle and State fuel credit card
over the course of 2011 through 2014 in connection with his travel from his
home in Huntington, West Virginia to and from a private golf club in western
Virginia. The roundtrip mileage for each
of these golf outings was approximately 400 miles and cost the taxpayers of
West Virginia approximately $220 per trip.
Stuart praised the work of the Federal Bureau of
Investigation, the West Virginia Legislative Commission on Special
Investigations, and the Internal Revenue Service—Criminal Investigation
Division.
“Throughout this investigation and including today’s filing
of a federal information against Justice Ketchum, the system worked,” said
United States Attorney Mike Stuart.
“This is not a sad day for West Virginia but, rather, a day in which our
citizens should be comforted. We are now
one step closer to ending the crisis of this court.”
"West Virginians deserve public officials they can
trust and who will represent them honestly and fairly," said Assistant
Special Agent in Charge Nick Boshears. "The public needs to know they can
have the highest confidence those who violate their trust will be held
accountable."
The Information carries a penalty of up to 20 years
imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and a term of supervised release of up to 3
years.
Please note: An
Information is merely an allegation and the defendant is presumed innocent
unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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