Federal appeals court upholds conviction

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) - A federal appeals court has upheld the conviction of a Knott County judge-executive in a vote buying case.

A jury convicted Randy Thompson in 2008 of misusing public funds and scheming to buy votes during the 2006 election. He was sentenced in 2009 to 40 months in prison, but the sentenced was postponed while he appealed the conviction.

The Lexington Herald-Leader (http://bit.ly/SbV5EU) reports that the U.S. Court of Appeals in Cincinnati reviewed the case and in a 39-page opinion said it found "no error in the district courtÂ's decision" and upheld the convictions.

It was unclear when Thompson, who was re-elected in 2010, might begin serving his sentence.

Thompson referred a call Tuesday night for comment to his attorney, who said he hadnÂ't yet read the opinion.

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