Clay County, Kentucky Justice For Sale

Clay County, Kentucky with an estimated population in 2004 was 24,254 is nestled in the eastern tip of the State.  Yesterday a U.S. District Court jury convicted 8 of its most prominent citizens inlcuding it's County Judge of running a corrupt vote buying scheme.  According to the Louisville Courier Journal among those convicted are former Circuit Judge R. Cletus Maricle (pic) and former school Superintendent Douglas C. Adams.  In addition to vote buying, the convicted the defendants of mail fraud, and extortion charges. 

The original indictment alleged that Maricle and Adams were political bosses who used their positions to steer the corruption. Others chose election officers to help with buying votes; paying voters; and lining up people to sell their votes. Testimony indicated that the defendants participated in the scheme by checking voter lists to identify peersons who would take bribes and lined up people to drive them to the polls, where precinct workers made sure they voted correctly and gave them a sticker or ticket to redeem for their payment.  The Judge admitted on the stand that he had purchased votes in the past, but Judge Maricale claimed he had not purchased votes during the periods covered by the indictments obatined by the federal prosecutors. 

The jurors weren't buying.