London Mayor Weddle pleads not guilty for making illegal contributions to support Beshear

London Mayor Randall Weddle made his preliminary courtroom look Wednesday on expenses that he illegally made extra marketing campaign contributions to political committees supporting Gov. Andy Beshear’s reelection in 2023.

Weddle’s lawyer, Guthrie True of Frankfort, entered a plea of ​​not guilty on Weddle’s behalf to a four-count indictment returned by the Laurel County Grand Jury on March 31.

Laurel Circuit Judge Michael O. Caperton accepted the plea and set a listening to for July 15 on True’s movement for a change of venue from Laurel to Franklin County.

The Kentucky Lantern first raised questions on doable extra contributions by Weddle to Beshear in a story revealed in April of 2023. The story famous the big variety of Weddle family members, workers and enterprise associates listed in Beshear marketing campaign finance studies as giving the utmost quantities allowed by legislation to support Beshear despite the fact that the listed donors come from a Republican area and had by no means earlier than made a big political contribution in Kentucky.

Beshear initially defended the contributions. But in June of 2023 Beshear’s marketing campaign committee and the Kentucky Democratic Party refunded $202,000 in contributions to Weddle after Weddle had instructed Beshear the contributions had been made on his bank card.

At the time of the contributions Kentucky legislation restricted the quantity any particular person might give to a candidate’s marketing campaign to $2,000 per election and the quantity an individual might give to the state-regulated a part of the Kentucky Democratic Party to $5,000 per yr.

The March 31 indictment alleges Weddle gave $93,000 in extra contributions to these two committees. Each of the 4 counts within the indictment is a Class D felony punishable by up to 5 years in jail and a tremendous of $10,000.

Last yr the matter was reviewed by the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance. At that point True stated that the case did not rise to the extent of a criminal offense as a result of Weddle’s extra contributions have been unintentional violations of the legislation. True argued that the chief fundraiser for Beshear indicated to Weddle that it was okay to ahead donations from others on his private bank card.

The Beshear marketing campaign has stated it by no means gave Weddle permission to do such a factor.

Attorney General Russell Coleman took over the registry’s investigation and offered the matter to the Laurel Grand Jury.

The request for change of venue says the case ought to not be heard in Laurel as a result of the alleged felony habits by Weddle did not happen there. Weddle was on a cruise along with his household within the Bahamas within the final days of 2022 when he mentioned the contributions with Beshear’s fundraiser and electronically transmitted the contributions, True has argued. He stated Franklin County is the right venue.

Coleman’s workplace declined touch upon the case later Wednesday.