Supreme Court won't hear Lundergan illegal contribution case

The Supreme Court is leaving in place the illegal campaign contributions conviction of Kentucky businessman and former Democratic Party chief, Jerry Lundergan

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The Supreme Court is leaving in place the illegal campaign contributions conviction of Kentucky businessman and former Democratic Party chief, Jerry Lundergan.

The high court on Monday turned away Lundergan's appeal of his conviction. As is typical, the justices did not say why they rejected his case.

Lundergan and a codefendant were convicted in 2019 of orchestrating a scheme to funnel illegal contributions to the failed 2014 U.S. Senate campaign of Lundergan's daughter, Alison Lundergan Grimes. Grimes attempted unsuccessfully to unseat Republican Mitch McConnell.

A jury convicted Jerry Lundergan on charges that he broke federal law by paying for approximately $200,000 for goods and services that benefitted his daughter's campaign. Lundgren's lawyers have said it was an oversight that he was not originally repaid by the campaign.

Lundergan, 75, was sentenced in 2020 to spend 21 months in prison and to pay a $150,000 fine. A federal inmate database says he is scheduled to be released in May 2023.

Grimes was the Kentucky secretary of state from 2012 to 2020.