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Tim Longmeyer pleads guilty to state felony

Tom Loftus
@TomLoftus_CJ

FRANKFORT, Ky. – Criminal prosecutions of the Steve Beshear administration's Personnel Cabinet secretary Tim Longmeyer came to a sudden end Thursday when Longmeyer pleaded guilty in Franklin Circuit Court to a single state felony count.

During a brief appearance before Judge Phillip Shepherd, Longmeyer entered a guilty plea to the crime of misuse of confidential information, a class D felony. In a plea agreement, Franklin County Commonwealth Attorney Larry Cleveland recommended a sentence of five years, but that Longmeyer could serve that time concurrent with the 70-month sentence he begins serving next month on a related federal bribery conviction.

The plea agreement also says Longmeyer will submit to an interview with Cleveland "to discuss his knowledge of criminal acts committed by other persons."

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Shepherd set a sentencing date of Jan. 3 - two days before Longmeyer is ordered to begin serving his federal sentence.

The charge and plea agreement Thursday provide no additional details to the high-profile federal bribery charge for which Longmeyer was sentenced in October.

In that case, Longmeyer admitted that while he was serving as Personnel Cabinet secretary in 2014 and 2015 he caused the two companies that administered the state government health insurance plan to employ a consulting firm called MC Squared, of Lexington, to perform focus groups and telephone surveys, and that MC Squared, in turn, kicked back about $200,000 of what it was paid by the insurance companies to Longmeyer.

At Longmeyer's sentencing in the federal case, a prosecutor said Longmeyer converted more than half of that money to illegal political contributions to Democratic candidates and causes he supported.

After Thursday's hearing, Longmeyer's lawyer, Brian Butler, of Louisville said the plea brings to an end all investigations of Longmeyer.

Longmeyer said, "I just want to re-emphasize I apologize to the folks I let down - the people of the commonwealth, employees of the commonwealth, the people I worked under, as well as my family and friends."

Last month, following his sentencing on the federal bribery case, Longmeyer settled 45 counts of violating the state government ethics code by the Executive Branch Ethics Commission. Those counts also are largely for the same behavior alleged in his federal case, but included two counts alleging Longmeyer directed subordinates at the Personnel Cabinet to solicit campaign contributions from cabinet employees under his supervision. Longmeyer denied only those two counts.

The commission fined Longmeyer $208,500 but allowed his federal restitution to cover all but $5,000 of that fine.

Longmeyer retired from the Steve Beshear administration in late 2015, but he rejoined state government at the beginning of this year as Attorney General Andy Beshear’s top deputy. He resigned from Andy Beshear's staff in March just days before federal authorities brought the stunning charge against Longmeyer

Both Steve and Andy Beshear said they had no hint of Longmeyer's illegal activity, and federal authorities said they had no evidence that either Beshear was ever aware of Longmeyer’s crimes.

Andy Beshear said last spring that as attorney general he would charge Longmeyer for what he said were apparent state crimes outlined in the federal charge against Longmeyer.

But Beshear later said he had to recuse himself from the investigation of his former deputy and referred the case to Cleveland.

Cleveland said Thursday his investigation was hamstrung because federal authorities would provide him no additional information beyond what is in the public case file on Longmeyer.

Even though the plea agreement imposes no fine on Longmeyer and no additional time beyond his federal sentence, Cleveland said, "I'm satisfied with this disposition. "Whenever a lawyer and public official abuses the public trust it's a terrible thing. But he's getting 70 months in federal custody - that's a long period of time, and he loses his law license."

Cleveland declined to comment on past, or future, discussions with Longmeyer and Butler about any possible illegal activity of others. "I'm really not at liberty to go into that discussion because it's all under the umbrella of further investigation of this matter," Cleveland said.

Reporter Tom Loftus can be reached at 502-875-5136 or tloftus@courier-journal.com.

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