LEXINGTON, KY—The former Breathitt County Schools superintendent who previously admitted distributing money to others to buy votes was sentenced today to 24 months in federal prison.

U.S. District Judge Karen Caldwell sentenced 66-year-old Arch Turner for conspiring to buy votes. She also fined him $250,000 and ordered him to pay a special assessment of $1,000, both of which are due immediately. Turner was taken into custody following the hearing.

Turner admitted that during the spring of 2010 he provided money to individuals to buy votes for candidates in the May 2010 primary election in Breathitt County. Turner acknowledged he distributed the money at a meeting he arranged with a group of people.

According to his plea agreement, Turner also received money from an individual to be used for vote buying.

Turner served as the schools superintendent from 2005 until July 2012.

A total of 11 people have pleaded guilty or been convicted in federal court of vote buying related charges stemming from Breathitt County’s May 2010 primary election.

Kerry B. Harvey, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Perrye Turner, Special Agent in Charge, FBI; and Jack Conway, Kentucky Attorney General jointly announced the sentence.

The investigation was conducted by the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office and the FBI.

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