The lawyer for embattled State Representative Ben Waide is dismissing charges that his client misused his company’s money to illegally fund his election campaign.
Hopkinsville attorney Bill Deatherage tells Kentucky Public Radio that charges of campaign finance violations against Waide, a Republican from Madisonville, are without merit.
“Ben Waide strongly maintains his innocence, and he intends to aggressively defend himself against these charges, and he believes they are politically motivated," said Deatherage.
The Kentucky Attorney General’s Office announced Tuesday that a Franklin County grand jury had indicted Waide on two counts of felony campaign finance violations for allegedly using money from Liberty Rehabilitation, where he is a partner, to bankroll his 2010 election campaign.
Waide could face up to 10 years in prison and up to $20,000 in fines, if convicted.