LONDON, Ky. — A Laurel County grand jury has indicted London Mayor Randall Weddle, 44, on four felony counts, alleging he made excessive campaign contributions to Gov. Andy Beshear, D-Ky., and the Kentucky Democratic Party.

What You Need To Know

  • A Laurel County grand jury indicted London Mayor Randall Weddle on four Class D felony counts tied to campaign donations

  • Prosecutors allege Weddle used his credit card to make unlawful donations to Gov. Andy Beshear and the Kentucky Democratic Party in others’ names

  • Each count carries a possible penalty of one to five years in prison and up to $10,000 in fines

  • Attorney General Russell Coleman says the investigation is ongoing and Weddle’s case will be handled by his office’s special prosecutions unit

Attorney General Russell Coleman, R-Ky., handled the investigation.

At a news conference, Coleman said that in December 2022, Weddle made more than 20 unlawful campaign donations to Beshear’s campaign and the party. He used his personal credit card to make the donations and, according to Coleman, reported that other people were the donors.

Each of the four counts in the indictment is a Class D felony, which is punishable by one to five years in prison and fines of up to $10,000 per count.

Coleman said it is rare for his office to hold a news conference about indictments, but he said he wanted to speak directly to the public.

“The only reason I’m standing here today is to reassure the people of Laurel County and all the communities outside of the ‘Golden Triangle’ that law enforcement, prosecutors and public servants in every corner of this commonwealth are working long hours, with a fire in the belly, to protect you, protect your families,” he said.

In April 2023, the Kentucky Lantern reported that Weddle’s family and his company’s employees had given more than $300,000 to Beshear’s campaign. According to the Lantern, the Beshear campaign later returned $202,000 in donations Weddle put on his credit card that had been made in the names of other people — a campaign finance law violation.

“They know the allegations, but in their eyes, before today’s indictment, nothing was being done to hold anyone accountable for this alleged criminal conduct,” Coleman said. “The people of London felt that no one in Frankfort, in their state government, in their law enforcement apparatus, cared about what happened to them.”

Coleman said the investigation is continuing and that he was limited in the information he could provide “at this stage.” He did not take questions from reporters.

Weddle is scheduled to be arraigned in Laurel Circuit Court at 9 a.m. Wednesday, April 15. Coleman said Weddle will be prosecuted by the attorney general’s special prosecutions unit.