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Election-fraud case stirs disgust in Clay Co.

By BRUCE SCHREINER - Associated Press Writer



MANCHESTER, Ky. -- Folks in this hardscrabble town tucked into the Appalachian hills don't seem to have much hope when they talk about the latest bunch of officials accused of masterminding crooked county elections.



Residents say votes could be bought for years, underscored by the March indictment of eight officials accused of rigging elections in Clay County. Federal prosecutors say they were part of a scheme to extort undisclosed amounts of cash allegedly used to bribe voters at the polls.



There are hints of optimism that the feds could clean up a long-standing tradition of corruption in this impoverished nook of southeastern Kentucky, some 95 miles south of Lexington, where people struggling to pay the bills and find good jobs were easy targets for vote-buying. For now, disgust abounds.  * * *



Among those charged in the most recent case are a judge known for his toughness and a school superintendent who's so far led a district showing improvement in student performance. They're accused of being "political bosses" who recruited candidates and then tried to swing elections in their favor.



Those two, along with a county clerk accused of doling out cash to voters at the polls, have pleaded not guilty. Five alleged accomplices also pleaded not guilty. Their trial is set for May 19. * * *



Prosecutors claim that longtime judge Russell Cletus Maricle and Clay County schools Superintendent Douglas C. Adams led a group that recruited slates of candidates and then tried to rig elections in their favor in 2002, 2004 and 2006.



Maricle was a circuit judge from 1991 to 2007, and was well-known and respected for handing out tough sentences in drug cases.



The 65-year-old judge had been serving in the senior program for special judges until his suspension after his indictment on charges of racketeering, obstruction of justice and conspiracy to commit voter fraud. Maricle could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.



Maricle attorney David Hoskins said he wasn't worried about Clay County's past reputation influencing the outcome of his case.* * *



While his fellow defendants were released after arraignment, Maricle was ordered to stay in jail until trial. Hoskins has appealed. Federal officials alleged at the detention hearing that Maricle had tried to sway a witness testifying before the grand jury investigating the case. Hoskins, who did not represent Maricle at that hearing, said the allegation won't hold up during trial.



Federal officials also claimed Maricle tried to find out the home addresses of an FBI agent and two other investigators, and what vehicles they drove. Hoskins describes it as harmless curiosity. * * *