UPDATE: U.S. Supreme Court denies Jerry Lundergan’s appeal of his illegal campaign contributions conviction

Lundergan was sentenced to 21-months for conspiring to illegally make contributions to his daughter's failed U.S. Senate campaign in 2014

Update from May 2, 2022:

WASHINGTON (AP/WTVQ) — The U.S. Supreme Court is leaving in place the illegal campaign contributions conviction of Lexington businessman and former Kentucky Democratic Party chief Jerry Lundergan.

The high court on Monday turned away Lundergan’s appeal of his conviction. As is typical, the justices did not say why they rejected his case.

Lundergan and a co-defendant were convicted in 2019 of orchestrating a scheme to funnel illegal contributions to the failed 2014 U.S. Senate campaign of Lundergan’s daughter, Alison Lundergan Grimes. Grimes attempted unsuccessfully to unseat Republican Mitch McConnell.

Update from December 30, 2021:

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) – Jerry Lundergan has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to consider overturning his federal conviction for making $200,000 in illegal campaign contributions to his daughter’s failed 2014 U.S. Senate campaign, according to the Lexington Herald-Leader.

The prominent Lexington businessman, former state representative and former head of the Kentucky Democratic Party wants the Supreme Court to review records from the criminal case he lost in the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, according to the report.

Lundergan’s petition states that the federal ban on corporate contributions is unconstitutional when applied to contributions from a close family member, according to the report.

The newspaper points out that the prosecution successfully argued in circuit court that Lundergan and political consultant Dale Emmons knew what they were doing in skirting the law.  It presented evidence the two used misleading or vague invoices to conceal the spending and that Lundergan also engaged in improper spending to support his daughter’s 2011 and 2016 races for secretary of state in Kentucky.

The Supreme Court does not have to accept Lundergan’s petition.  If it does, a ruling could loosen legal restrictions on campaign finance laws across the country, according to law experts the newspaper talked to for its report.

The federal government has 30-days to respond to Lundergan’s petition.  That also goes for amicus briefs, or ‘friend of the court’ briefs from outsiders who support the petition, according to the report.

Update from November 30, 2021:

ASHLAND, Ky. (WTVQ) – A prominent Lexington businessman, former state representative and former head of the Kentucky Democratic Party, Jerry Lundergan, reported to federal prison on Tuesday to begin serving a 21-month sentence, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

The bureau says Lundergan reported to the Federal Correctional Institution in Ashland, Kentucky.

Lundergan had been free on appeal following his 2019 conviction on campaign finance charges.

The U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Lundergan’s conviction and turned down a motion to stay the judgment, according to federal court records.

According to federal court documents, Lundergan and political consultant Dale Emmons were convicted of conspiring to illegally make more than $200,000 in contributions from one of Lundergan’s companies to the failed 2014 U.S. Senate campaign of Lundergan’s daughter, Alison Lundergan Grimes. She lost the race to Republican incumbent Mitch McConnell.

Emmons was sentenced to three years probation, with nine months of that at a halfway house; however, because of health problems, Judge Gregory F. Van Tatenhove approved a request to have Emmons serve nine months on home detention with electronic monitoring, according to federal court documents.

Original story below from September 12, 2019:

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) –

3 p.m.

A federal jury in Kentucky has convicted the father of Kentucky’s secretary of state of funneling illegal corporate contributions to his daughter’s failed 2014 challenge of Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell.

The jury convicted Democratic stalwart Jerry Lundergan and co-defendant Dale Emmons of all counts after about two hours of deliberation Thursday. The decision caps a monthlong trial in U.S. District Court in Frankfort.

Defense attorney Guthrie True told reporters afterward that Lundergan will appeal. Emmons’ attorney didn’t immediately comment.

Lundergan’s daughter, Alison Lundergan Grimes, was in the courtroom when the verdicts were read. Lundergan remained stoic for the verdict. Some light sobs were heard from people in the courtroom.

Lundergan was convicted of 10 counts and Emmons of six counts. Both face potentially lengthy prison sentences.

___

12:45 p.m.

A jury in Kentucky is deliberating whether the father of Alison Lundergan Grimes broke federal law by funneling corporate contributions into her challenge of Sen. Mitch McConnell.

The case went to the jury Thursday following closing arguments in the monthlong trial.

Prosecutors claim Democratic stalwart Jerry Lundergan schemed to subvert federal election rules to benefit his daughter’s campaign.

Lundergan’s attorney, J. Guthrie True, says prosecutors failed to show any evidence of criminal intent.

Co-defendant Dale Emmons is accused of joining Lundergan in a conspiracy to direct illegal contributions to Grimes’ Senate campaign. Emmons is a veteran Democratic consultant. Both men could face lengthy prison sentences if convicted.

Grimes is in her second term as Kentucky’s secretary of state. She was defeated by McConnell, now the Senate majority leader, in 2014.