Ex-Morgan Co. judge appeals guilty plea, prosecutors oppose

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) – A federal prosecutor has argued that former Morgan County Judge-Executive Tim Conley’s appeal of his guilty plea should be dismissed.

The Lexington Herald-Leader reports (http://bit.ly/1X2wBzP) Conley pleaded guilty in August 2014 to mail fraud in a scheme in which he took $130,000 in kickbacks from a contractor in the wake of a March 2012 tornado that killed six people in the county. Conley waived his right to appeal his plea as part of a plea deal.

In January, Conley was sentenced to seven years and three months in prison. Conley says he would have received a shorter sentence if prosecutors hadn’t asked for even more prison time.

Prosecutors say a guilty plea can be reversed only if the court violates a substantial right of a defendant, something they say didn’t happen in Conley’s case.

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Information from: Lexington Herald-Leader, http://www.kentucky.com

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press.