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Date: 02-26-2020
Case Style:
Case Number: 5:19-cr-00108-GFVT-MAS
Judge: Gregory F. VanTatenhove
Court: United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky (Franklin County)
Plaintiff's Attorney: Erin Roth and Ken Taylor
Defendant's Attorney:
Description: Frankfort, KY - United States of America charged Timothy Wayne Wellman with obstruction of justice.
A Lexington businessman was convicted by a federal jury sitting in Frankfort, of charges related to the obstruction of a federal investigation.
After approximately two hours of deliberation, following a five-day trial, the jury convicted 66-year old Timothy Wayne Wellman of 11 counts related to obstructing justice, aiding and abetting the obstruction of a federal grand jury, and aiding and abetting individuals in making false statements to the FBI.
According to testimony at trial, Wellman requested that multiple employees of CRM Companies (CRM) donate money to the campaigns of two city council members and then reimbursed them for their donation. He later asked the employees to give false information to the FBI, who was conducting an investigation into public corruption allegations, by encouraging the employees to lie about reasons for the reimbursement checks and, in some instances, asking them to create false documents (including ledgers and tax forms) to support their false stories.
Wellman was indicted in June 2019.
“People simply cannot obstruct federal law enforcement or grand jury investigations, because such conduct undermines the foundation of our system,” said Robert M. Duncan, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky. “Through his actions, the defendant brazenly attempted to obstruct federal investigations into criminal conduct, by counseling others to lie and create false documents, concealing the truth from federal law enforcement and a federal grand jury. This disgraceful conduct cannot be tolerated. I commend the FBI for their hard work and dedication – without their efforts, this important prosecution would not have been possible.”
U.S. Attorney Duncan and James Robert Brown, Special Agent in Charge for the FBI, Louisville Field Office, jointly announced the jury’s verdict.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI.
For the most serious charges, Defendant faces up to twenty years in federal prison. He also faces a maximum fine of $2.75 million. However, the Court must consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the applicable federal sentencing statutes before imposing a sentence.
charges:
18:2 and 18:1512(c)(2) FRAUDULENT STATEMENTS & WITNESS TAMPERING
(1)
18:2 & 18:1512(c)(2) AIDING & ABETTING, WITNESS TAMPERING
(1s)
18:2 and 18:1001 FRAUDULENT STATEMENTS
(2-8)
18:2 & 18:1001 AIDING & ABETTING, FRAUDULENT STATEMENTS
(2s-8s)
18:2 & 18:1519 AIDING & ABETTING, FALSIFICATION OF RECORDS
(9s)
18:1519 FALSIFICATION OF RECORDS
(10s-11s)
Outcome: Lexington Businessman Convicted of Obstructing Justice
02/25/2020 68 ORDER in compliance w/Sentencing Reform Act as to Timothy Wayne Wellman. Signed by Judge Gregory F. VanTatenhove on 2/25/20. (KJR)cc: COR,USM,USP (Entered: 02/25/2020)
02/25/2020 69 OPINION as to Timothy Wayne Wellman: DENYING dft's oral motion for mistrial. Signed by Judge Gregory F. VanTatenhove on 2/25/20. (KJR)cc: COR,USP (Entered: 02/25/2020)
02/25/2020 75 MEMORANDUM OPINION as to Timothy Wayne Wellman: DENYING defendant's second oral motion for mistrial. Signed by Judge Gregory F. Van Tatenhove on 2/25/2020. (KM)cc: COR,USP (Entered: 02/25/2020)
Plaintiff's Experts:
Defendant's Experts:
Comments: