FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE THURSDAY, APRIL 24, 2003 WWW.USDOJ.GOV CRM (202) 514-2008 TDD (202) 514-1888 WASHINGTON, D.C. - Assistant Attorney General Michael Chertoff of the Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Gregory F. Van Tatenhove of the Eastern District of Kentucky, and J. Stephen Tidwell, Special Agent in Charge of the FBIs Kentucky field office, announced today that a federal grand jury in London, Kentucky, returned two indictments charging four individuals in connection with the buying of votes in the May 26, 1998 primary election in Knott County.
Donnie Newsome, 52, of Hindman, Kentucky, Willard Smith, 54, of Hindman, and Keith Pigman, 45, of Garner, Kentucky, were all charged with one count of conspiracy to pay voters to vote by absentee ballots in the primary election, in which Newsome was a candidate for Knott County Judge Executive. Newsome was also charged in two counts of the six-count indictment with paying and aiding and abetting the paying of two voters. The indictment alleges payments of between $25 and $100 per voter.
The indictment charges Smith with four counts of paying and aiding and abetting the paying of four voters in the primary, and Pigman was charged with two counts of paying and aiding and abetting the paying of two voters for their votes in the primary.
In a separate indictment, Newton J. Johnson, 33, of Brinkley, Kentucky, was charged with four counts of paying voters in the May 1998 Knott County primary election. Johnson was also charged with one count of making false statements to the FBI about his involvement in paying voters, and two counts of corruptly endeavoring to obstruct justice by urging two witnesses to lie to the federal grand jury investigating the vote-buying scheme.
Each count of the indictments involving vote buying carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both, and not more than five years of supervised release. Federal law makes it a felony offense to buy votes in any election in which there are candidates for federal office on the ballot, and there were candidates for the U.S. Senate on the ballot in the May 26, 1998 primary election.
The two counts against Johnson of endeavoring to obstruct justice each carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both, and not more than five years of supervised release.
The investigation that resulted in todays charges was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas L. Self and Richard Pilger, a trial attorney at the Justice Departments Public Integrity Section, headed by Section Chief Noel L. Hillman.
These indictments are part of the Attorney Generals Ballot Integrity Initiative, a Public Integrity Section-led program to insure open, fair, and honest elections through the vigorous investigation and prosecution of election crimes.
The defendants charged in todays indictment will appear for arraignment at U.S. District Court in Pikeville, Kentucky, at a date to be determined by the court. 03-254
Source: US Department of Justice
