PIKEVILLE, Ky. – Former Paintsville Mayor, Robert Porter, has been sentenced to 48 months for misappropriating property and city resources.
On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Reeves sentenced Porter for misappropriating federal property belonging to a city that received substantial federal funding. Judge Reeves also ordered that Porter pay a $4,000 fine.
In September of 2016, a federal jury, in London, Ky., convicted Porter on those charges.
Evidence presented at the trial established that, from 2009 until 2012, Porter, with the knowledge, approval and assistance of Larry Herald, the former general manager of the Paintsville Utilities Commission, did not pay for utilities services provided to residences that he owned in Paintsville. The total delinquency was in excess of $7,000. The evidence also revealed that Porter used thousands of dollars in city and federal funds to pay for personal expenses, such as maintenance and repairs on his personal automobiles, gasoline for personal trips, and shipping fees for personal items.
Evidence at the trial also established that Porter used a city owned vehicle, seized from a drug investigation by the Paintsville Police Department, for personal trips.
Kerry B. Harvey, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Amy Hess, Special Agent in Charge, FBI; and Richard W. Sanders, Kentucky State Police Commissioner, jointly made the announcement.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI and the Kentucky State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ken Taylor, Kate Smith and Andrew Boone prosecuted this case on behalf of the federal government.