Sullivan Not Guilty of Bribing Government Official

Tuesday, June 19, 2018 | 0

A Kentucky lobbyist on Monday was cleared of charges that he bribed a state official to win a contract for a workers' compensation claims management firm, but was convicted of offering bribes on behalf of law firms.

Tim Longmeyer

After two days of deliberations, a federal jury found lobbyist James Sullivan not guilty of three counts of bribing the Personnel Cabinet secretary to keep a lucrative contract with Sullivan's client, Cannon Cochran Management Services, the Lexington Herald-Leader newspaper reported Monday evening.

CCMSI had handled claims management for the Kentucky state employees' self-insurance fund, which covered more than 72,000 workers.

Sullivan, a longtime consultant and lobbyist, was accused of bribing Tim Longmeyer, the former head of personnel services and contracts for the state, and later a deputy attorney general. Longmeyer, who is serving a 70-month sentence for his role in the bribery scandal, testified against Sullivan last week.

Longmeyer claimed that because of the cash payments from Sullivan, he instructed his staff to keep the CCMSI contract, even though the firm's bid was  $200,000 higher than another claims management company's.

Sullivan faces up to 10 years in prison on the conviction. His sentencing is set for Sept. 6, and he remains free on bond, according to news reports.