The Ledger Independent, maysville-online.com
BYLINE: MARLA TONCRAY marla.toncray@lee.net

Maysville, KY


MARLA TONCRAY

The former executive director of the Buffalo Trace/Gateway Narcotics Task Force will appear in federal court on Dec. 19 to faces charges he stole $98,000 of public money.

Timothy G. Fegan served as the executive director of the agency from April 7, 2010 to Nov. 7, 2012. He had been with the task force for 15 years, prior to his resignation and subsequent termination by the task force board of directors in November 2012.

Fegan was indicted Thursday, Dec. 5 by a federal grand jury in Lexington. The indictment was announced jointly by Kerry B. Harvey, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, and Perrye Turner, Special Agent in Charge, FBI.

According to the official indictment from the U.S. District Court Eastern District of Kentucky/Northern Division Covington, Fegan could face not more than 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years supervised released. In addition, he could face a mandatory special assessment of $100 per count; forfeiture, if applicable; and restitution, if applicable.

The indictment alleges Fegan had unrestricted access to the evidence room which housed seized contraband and cash proceeds connected with illegal drug activities and "buy money" used to conduct controlled narcotics purchases in his position as executive director.

The indictment states "on various dates during his tenure as executive director, Fegan abused this access to wrongfully appropriate, for his own personal use, thousands of dollars from the cash proceeds seized during task force investigations"..."thousands of dollars of buy money."

Mason County Sheriff Patrick Boggs said Friday a spot audit in October 2012 revealed "on paper," the amount of buy money was too much for the agency to have on hand for controlled drug buys.

"It raised red flags and then it (the money) couldn't be accounted for," said Boggs. "I am pleased the judicial side of the process has begun."

Fegan was indicted on three counts under U.S. Code 666(a)(1)(A) for receiving "more than $10,000 of federal funds in a 12 month period, embezzled, stole, obtained by fraud, otherwise without authority knowingly converted to the use of a person other than the rightful owner, and intentionally misapplied property valued cumulatively at $5,000 or more and owned by and under the care, custody, and control of the Buffalo Trace/Gateway Narcotics Task Force..."

Fegan could also face forfeiture of any property, real or personal, related to a money judgement of $98,000 issued by the court.

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