LEXINGTON, Ky. – Former Kentucky agriculture commissioner and University of Kentucky basketball star Richie Farmer has been indicted on felony charges of misappropriating state funds.
The 43-year-old was named in a federal indictment unsealed Monday.
He was the state's agriculture commissioner from 2004 to the end of 2011. The indictment charges him with using his state position to obtain thousands of dollars' worth of gifts, hotel rooms, clothing and computers. It also alleges he hired friends at the agency who did little or no work.
Attorney J. Guthrie True says Farmer plans to plead not guilty and he will appear in court for his arraignment April 30.
Farmer was a shooting guard for the University of Kentucky's Wildcats basketball team from 1988 to 1992, a team known as "The Unforgettables."
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