The final four defendants named in the 2006 General Election vote buying conspiracy pled guilty to charges this past week in Federal Court, according to a press release from David J. Hale, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Kentucky and Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.

Michael Page, 52, and his nephew, Corey Page, 31, pled guilty to their charges Monday, December 5, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Goebel in Owensboro, while Todd Newport, 28, pled guilty to his charges before Magistrate Judge Goebel Friday, December 2 in Bowling Green.

Martha Hodges, 49, averted a trial scheduled for last week and pled guilty on Wednesday, Dec. 7 before Goebel in Bowling Green to conspiring to knowingly and willfully pay and offering to pay voters for voting in the general election.

“Attempts to corrupt the election process will simply not be tolerated,” stated David J. Hale, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Kentucky. “Vote buying is a serious crime. It undermines our democratic process and weakens public confidence in the election system. My office, in partnership with the FBI, will continue to pursue those who would attempt to subvert free and fair elections in Kentucky.”

The indictment alleges that beginning in October, 2006, and continuing to the date of the general election on November 7, 2006, Tony Gumm, Martha J. Hughes, Jeffery Todd Newport, William H. Profitt, Corey Page, and Michael Page, conspired to pay voters to cast walk-in absentee ballots. The object of the conspiracy was to secure the election for Gumm and other candidates. At the time, Gumm was a write-in candidate for Monroe County Magistrate.

All six defendants have admitted to participating in this scheme in which voters were instructed to lie about their intended whereabouts on election day, and to falsely state they were blind, disabled or unable to read English and thus in need of assistance to vote. Members of the conspiracy would then accompany the voters into the booth to cast the voters’ ballot. The indictment specifies 17 votes who were paid $25 to $80 dollars for voting in the election.

Tony A. Gumm pled guilty and was sentenced to serve three years probation, with eight months home detention and pay a $4,000 fine on July 21 in U.S. District Court in Bowling Green by Chief Judge Joseph H. McKinley, Jr.

On June 9, William H. Proffitt entered a guilty plea in U.S. District Court and is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 22 before Chief Judge McKinley.

The maximum potential penalties for Proffitt, Newport, Michael Page and Corey Page are five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and supervised release for a period of three years. Michael and Corey Page are scheduled for sentencing on March 2 in U.S. District Court in Bowling Green. Martha Hughes remains on bond, and is also scheduled to be sentenced on March 2. The maximum penalty for Hughes is five years in prison, a $250,000 fine and supervised release for a period of three years.

In a separate federal indictment, the former Monroe County Judge/Executive, Wilbur Graves, and three Tompkinsville residents were charged with conspiracy to buy votes during the same 2006 Monroe County general election. After a three-day trial, Graves was convicted of conspiring with others to buy votes in order to guarantee his re-election. Gary Bartley pled guilty while Ronald Muse and Wanda Moore entered plea agreements with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and testified against Graves at trial.

Both cases were prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney’s Thomas W. Dyke and Randy Ream, Chief of the Criminal Division for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Teddy Kang and Edward Sullivan, trial attorneys with the Department of Justice Public Integrity Section. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.