By Steve Bittenbender
LOUISVILLE Ky. (Reuters) - A Kentucky state lawmaker who is also a coal mine owner was indicted by a federal grand jury on Thursday on charges he bribed an inspector so his mines would not receive citations.
Prosecutors allege that state Representative W. Keith Hall, a Democrat from eastern Kentucky, paid state government inspector Kelly Shortridge more than $46,000 between April 2009 to August 2011 to keep him from reporting violations, according to court documents.
Most of the funds were funneled from Hall's companies to a consulting firm the two set up under the name of Shortridge's wife, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors also allege that Shortridge sent Hall a message late in 2010 saying he would use his position to issue citations if the lawmaker did not make a payment.
Hall, who was first elected in 2000, lost in a primary election in May and his term ends at the end of the year. If convicted of the bribery charge, Hall faces up to 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release.
The grand jury charged Shortridge with accepting a bribe, extortion and making false statements to the FBI. The extortion count carries a term of up to 20 years in prison.
Neither Hall nor Shortridge was immediately available for comment.
Shortridge resigned from the state's Division of Mine Reclamation and Enforcement last February, without giving a reason, said spokesman Dick Brown.
Hall's companies listed in the indictment include Beech Creek Coal Co, LLC & HEI Services LLC.
Beach Creek Coal has employed as many as 40 people and has been cited for numerous safety and environmental violations, according to the Lexington Herald-Leader, citing state officials.
(Reporting by Steve Bittenbender; Editing by Mary Wisniewski and Peter Cooney)