(LEX 18) — Since former commonwealth’s attorney Ronnie Goldy was accused in 2022 of misconduct, other prosecutors around the state have been vocal about the situation.
Goldy was charged last year with six counts of honest service wire fraud, six counts of violating the "Travel Act," and two counts of federal program bribery. He was accused of giving court favors to a criminal defendant in exchange for nude photos and videos of her.
A federal judge convicted Goldy on all counts Friday. He’s set to be sentenced in May.
Before he was charged, Goldy’s law license was suspended, and he was impeached.
Multiple prosecutors testified before lawmakers, calling for Goldy’s impeachment. One of those was Kenton County commonwealth’s attorney, Rob Sanders.
Sanders is also a member of the Prosecutors Advisory Council.
“There has to be a system where we're held accountable,” Sanders said.
He said that he hopes the conviction will serve as a deterrent for any other state prosecutors who would behave inappropriately.
“If Joe and Jane public don't have confidence in the prosecutor, that erodes the entire criminal justice system in that location,” Sanders said. “And there really isn't justice anymore if everyone has to question whether decisions being made by the prosecutor are on the up and up.”
Sanders said the verdict Friday was something “honest prosecutors across the state” were waiting for.
“It’s a shame it was going on as long as it was, the way Mr. Goldy was carrying on that nobody had blown the whistle on him sooner,” Sanders said. “Nevertheless, I'm glad that it surfaced and we could right the wrong, the injustice that was going on in his circuit.”
