CITIZEN STAFF REPORT

MOREHEAD — The former Commonwealth’s Attorney for Bath, Menifee, Montgomery and Rowan counties was arrested Friday by the FBI at his home in Morehead.

Ronnie Goldy’s arrest follows a federal indictment last week on fraud and public corruption charges.

The indictment charges the former prosecutor with six counts each of honest services wire fraud and using an interstate communication to commit bribery, and two counts of federal program bribery.

According to the indictment, Goldy exploited his position from November 2017 to November 2020 by making illicit agreements with a criminal defendant. In exchange for sexual favors and sexually explicit images from a defendant, Goldy allegedly made favorable decisions in criminal cases and pressured other officials to do the same.

The indictment lists examples of actions Gold agreed to perform for this defendant. Those include efforts to facilitate the defendant’s release from jail; withdrawal of arrest warrants; postponement of court hearings; and requesting another prosecutor to sign an order directing the release of the defendant’s impounded property.

Goldy will make an initial court appearance Monday at 4 p.m.

If convicted on all counts, he faces significant prison time. For the six counts of honest services wire fraud, Goldy faces a maximum of 20 years in prison. The six counts of electronic communication bribery could lead to a maximum of five years in prison. For the two counts of federal program bribery, Goldy faces a maximum of 10 years in prison.

Editor’s note: An indictment is an accusation only. A defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.