Kentucky man sentenced in jail kickback scheme
PADUCAH, Ky. (AP) – An 80-year-old Kentucky businessman who pleaded guilty in a conspiracy involving jail construction has been sentenced to probation.
U.S. District Judge Thomas B. Russell sentenced Michael Homra of Fulton County to two years’ probation Wednesday in Paducah. He was fined $10,000 and ordered to pay $32,500 in restitution.
The U.S. attorney’s office said Homra, owner of The Leader Store in Fulton, pleaded guilty in January to wire fraud for his role in a conspiracy that involved then-Fulton County Jailer Ricky D. Parnell and others. Prosecutors say Homra allowed Parnell to use his business as a middleman company for building supplies ordered during the expansion project, then paid Parnell some of the inflated profits from the purchases.
Parnell and two Tennessee men have pleaded guilty in the case and await sentencing.
