CRIME
Former Kentucky Prosecutor Pleads Guilty To Accepting Bribes Including Meth And Sexual Favors From Defendants
U.S. Attorney's Office
The former Commonwealth Attorney for Kentucky’s 33rd Judicial Circuit pleaded guilty on Friday to fraud in connection with accepting bribes from defendants he was prosecuting, officials said.
Scott Blair, 52, pleaded guilty to committing honest services wire fraud, a type of fraud that involves depriving the citizens of Perry County of their right to his honest services as a public prosecutor, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Kentucky.
According to the guilty plea agreement, between April 2020 and March 2024, Blair devised a bribery scheme while serving as the elected Commonwealths Attorney. Blair accepted methamphetamines and sexual favors in return for taking official actions including making recommendations on probation, drug court, and probation violations or sanctions for defendants he was prosecuting.
“Whenever prosecutors reject their official duties for the public, and instead abuse their positions for personal benefit, that does continuing damage to us all. It not only victimizes individuals, but it demeans the true work of law enforcement, undermines fairness and public safety, and diminishes faith in the criminal justice system.misconduct, U.S. Attorney Carlton S. Shier, IV, said in a statement.
Blairs conduct undermines the confidence the public deserves to have in their government officials. The public relies on its Commonwealths Attorneys to maintain and validate its faith in our criminal justice system. As he admitted today, Blair betrayed that trust by engaging in a scheme that spanned years and corrupted the fair administration of justice for personal gain, said Michael E. Stansbury, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Louisville Field Division.
Blair faces a maximum of 20 years in prison. A date for sentencing had not yet been set Friday.
“All Kentuckians — including the people of Perry County — deserve prosecutors with integrity and public servants they can trust. Scott Blair violated that trust and broke the law,” said Attorney General Russell Coleman. “This conviction will help restore public safety in this community, and it is an example of the zealous collaboration between our Office and our partners that is key to protecting Kentucky families.”
TMX contributed to this article.
