LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) - A Lexington consultant pleaded guilty Wednesday to bribery and mail fraud charges related to an investigation that resulted in a guilty plea by former Personnel Secretary Tim Longmeyer last year.
Samuel McIntosh was charged and pleaded guilty to four counts of bribery and one count of mail fraud, media outlets reported.
McIntosh admitted paying Longmeyer and Louisville political consultant Larry O’Bryan $854,701 between 2011 and 2015. Longmeyer pleaded guilty last year to receiving $203,500 in cash and illegal campaign contributions from McIntosh’s company, MC Squared, in 2014 and 2015, to generate work for MC Squared.
The cases allege Longmeyer and O’Bryan set up a plan in which Longmeyer used his influence as personnel secretary in Gov. Steve Beshear’s administration to convince insurance companies in the state employee health insurance plan to hire MC Squared to conduct focus groups and phone surveys to measure employee satisfaction.
The allegations continue that MC Squared took part of the money it was paid by the insurance companies and kicked it back to Longmeyer, who kept some and used part to make political contributions in the names of other people to political candidates he supported.
Longmeyer and O’Bryan both pleaded guilty to bribery. Longmeyer is serving 70 months in federal prison, and O’Bryan and McIntosh are awaiting sentencing.
Anna Manges, a former employee of Baptist Health, also pleaded guilty Wednesday to being paid $1,250 by McIntosh to use her position to hire MC Squared.
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