Former Ky. official pleads guilty to mail fraud

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — A former eastern Kentucky official has pleaded guilty to mail fraud in an attempt to hide a vote-buying scheme.

On Wednesday, former Perry County judge-executive Sherman Neace admitted he mailed false campaign-spending reports to a state agency.

The Lexington Herald-Leader reports that Neace faces a maximum sentence of 20 years and is scheduled to be sentenced March 18.

Neace and former Perry County Circuit Clerk Chester Jones of Hazard were accused of diverting $7,500 that the state Democratic Party had given local Democrats to improve voter turnout last November and using it to buy votes for themselves.

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Information from: Lexington Herald-Leader, http://www.kentucky.com