UPDATE : A person attending the trial of Joy and Mike Hogan today said Judge Gregory Van Tattenhove finally made a decision this evening and levied prison terms for both defendants.
The Lazer connection at the trial said Michael Hogan was given a 41 month prison term and Joy Hogan a sentence of one year and a day. Michael Hogan will have to pay an undetermined amount of restitution.
Michael Hogan will report to Prison on DEC 6. and Joy Hogan will report JAN 3, 2023 a court report this morning said. There was no information available concerning where the prison terms will be served.
FRANKFORT, Ky. — The sentencing phase of former Lawrence County Attorney Mike Hogan and his wife, Joy, took place today in Frankfort but the attorneys in the case did not complete their arguments before business hours of the court’s clerk were over.
A clerk in the office said there were “quite a few” evidentiary witnesses this morning and the lawyers were presenting more information this afternoon. He said sentencing hearings “usually don’t last this long” and he “did not know if the judge will try to finish this evening or recess until Wednesday morning.”
But The Lexington Herald-Leader had a reporter at the meeting who wrote a lengthy story about the Hogans and the sentencing this morning. SEE FULL STORY HERE
Here is a snippet from the story.
“…The prosecutor, Assistant U.S. Attorney Kate K. Smith, said in a sentencing memorandum that the the improper payments from the tax account to Joy Hogan totaled at least $379,458.
The most any other employee received in bonuses during the same period was about $10,000, according to the memo.
Mike Hogan also over-billed the taxpayer-supported program to collect child support by at least $232,127, for a total loss from the two schemes of $611,585, the memo said.
Employees in the child-support office couldn’t cash their checks at times because it didn’t have enough money, even as Hogan overbilled for his work “knowing his employees could not cash their own paychecks,” Smith said in the memo.
Hogan could have used money from the delinquent tax account to cover budget shortfalls in the child-support office, but that wasn’t an option “because he routinely drained the delinquent tax account to pay bonuses to Joy Hogan, Smith wrote…”
The court reporter also said there won’t be any official news about the sentencing until tomorrow morning anyway because the judge was still talking and everything has to be transcribed. Reporters from large news organizations did not check in with the clerk’s office today, the clerk said, but may have been in attendance in the courtroom to get the news as soon as the judge pronounces.
Hogan, 53, and his wife and legal secretary, Joy M. Hogan, 41, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Gregory Van Tatenhove, to wire fraud. Michael Hogan pleaded guilty also to federal program theft.
The Hogans were scheduled to be sentenced on Wednesday, July 6, butVan Tatenhove granted Michael Hogan’s request to delay the proceedings and set a new sentencing date of September 27.
They face up to 20 years in prison on the wire fraud charges. Michael Hogan faces up to 10 years in prison on the federal program theft charges.
According to the Hogans’ plea agreements, the Hogans conspired with each other to commit wire fraud by issuing checks from a second delinquent tax account for the Lawrence County Attorney’s Office, the statements for which went to their personal residence. Michael Hogan and Joy Hogan would routinely prepare “bonus” checks issued to Joy, and signed by Michael, paid with delinquent tax funds that should have been used on operating expenses for the Lawrence County Attorney’s Office. The Hogans deposited these checks in Joy’s personal account and the couple’s joint accounts and spent the funds on personal expenses. Michael Hogan admitted he personally benefitted from these payments and knew some of these payments were not reasonable in amount, nor beneficial to the public. According to the indictment, between March 8, 2013, and April 30, 2020, Michael Hogan paid Joy Hogan more than $365,000 from the Lawrence County Delinquent Tax Account which comes to about $52,000 per year.
Additionally, Michael Hogan also admitted to defrauding the Lawrence County Child Support Enforcement Office, part of the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services. According to the plea agreement, Hogan billed the program for more hours than he actually worked.
As part of the plea agreement, Michael Hogan agreed to resign as the Lawrence County Attorney.
The Hogans were indicted on the charges in June 2021.
So they get a slap on the wrist for stealing taxpayer funds!!! Once a thief always a thief. They need to investigate years past!!
What they did was wrong Yes! However we still have Biden and his crooked scamming son taking the US for millions and nobody cares! However someone like this gets the book thrown at them!……Anything gonna be done about some other local embezzling/thievery going on?
OIA your Orange Jesus and his DOJ had all the evidence on The Real President Biden and his son but couldn’t find anything.
“Someone like this” are thieves. They stole child support money and delinquent tax money. They got what they deserved. They are supposed to make restitution to Lawrence County. Biden and his son have nothing to do with this. When and if they are proven guilty of something, they should go to jail, too.
They should have gotten a whole lot longer looking at 30 years and barely gotten 2. And stole all that money for so long from the citizens that we’re struggling. Wow what is this world coming to. Hell people who gets caught shoplifting in a Walmart or other store gets longer and they stole over $50,000 year.
You are correct.
Actually Tina Lawrence County is doing quite well. The County Library is sitting on millions and the Lawrence County Schools are getting ready to build an $850,000 pressbox and dressing room for the softball team. So I think LC is flushed with cash.
Actually “Flushed with Cash”, I don’t think Tina was talking about the businesses in Lawrence County. I think she was talking about the citizens. I think she actually did say “citizens”. Most of the stolen money came directly from the delinquent tax account and I’d be willing to bet that most of the money in the delinquent tax account came from the citizens of Lawrence County, not the businesses..
I think you mean “flush” with cash, not flushed. I don’t know about the Lawrence County fiscal situation, but I do know that the money the Hogans stole has to have come from someone’s pocket: the taxpayers of Kentucky and Lawrence County. Consider how much better off the financial situation would be if not for thieves with their hands in the public’s pocket.
My sources say he is disbarred but he is going to get religion in prison so he can make a living by preaching when he gets out. Stay tuned.
How very sad. Glad they’re being punished.
He takes money in his personal law office and never helps the person. I paid $4000.00 and he never once went to court or do anything for my brothers children. They lost their home place, that had been in family for over 100years when he passed. To his wife, that divorce would have been final in 1 week.
Couldn’t happen to a better con man.
He’ll spend probably 2, and she’ll serve 4-5 months.
Considering the amount stolen and the length of time they did it, it makes one wonder if this was their (or at least his) first rodeo.
Wonder if he worked his way up to this level?
Maybe the authorities should dig a little deeper.
Google his running mate for governor. Two peas in a pod!