From the News Journal.
To read the complete Supreme Court decision, click here
A Knox County official received a public reprimand by Kentucky's highest court late last week.
In a decision returned on Thursday, the Kentucky Supreme Court publicly reprimanded Knox County Attorney Charley Greene Dixon Jr. The Court overturned an Inquiry Commission's July 2008 decision, which found Dixon not guilty. The charges involved a money laundering scheme which sent former Knox County Judge/Executive Raymond Smith to prison.
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In their ruling, the Court stated: "Dixon's actions had the effect of facilitating Raymond Smith's money laundering scheme. Two of the checks were drawn on Knox County. So Dixon's actions had the effect of defrauding the county that Dixon represented as county attorney," the court stated in their decision."
In July 2008, Dixon was investigated by the Inquiry Commission and found not guilty of misconduct regarding his attorney escrow account.
The commission alleged Dixon received checks from businesses owned by brothers Raymond and Matt Smith, put the checks in his escrow account, then distributed the cash value of the checks to both Smiths' wives at the instruction of Raymond Smith, according to the document
However, the Kentucky Supreme Court decided to review the trial commissioner's decision. Four years later, the Court has disagreed with the not guilty decision by the Commission.
The court found Dixon was guilty of violating SCR 3.130-1.15(b) by receiving more than $85,000 in checks made payable to specific businesses, making no effort to notify those businesses that he had received those funds, then paying the funds to a third party, the decision stated.
Smith laundered money through various accounts, including Dixon's escrow account, according to the document.
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As part of the decision, Dixon was ordered to pay all costs associated with the disciplinary proceeding, which totaled $1,870.67.
"It's been reviewed on every level and I've been cleared," Dixon said.
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