A former Lawrence County Attorney and his wife were recently sentenced to federal prison terms for wire-fraud and federal program theft.

 

Michael T. Hogan and Joy M. Hogan pleaded guilty to the charges back in March.

 

Michael received a sentence of 42-months for wire-fraud and federal program theft, while his wife/secretary, Joy, received a sentence of 12-months and one day.

 

According to the couple’s plea agreements, the pair conspired with each other to issue checks from a tex-delinquent account from within the Lawrence County Attorney’s Office. The statements in question went to their house. The pair additionally admitted to preparing “bonus checks” for Joy which were signed by Michael, using funds that were meant for operating the County Attorney’s Office. The indictment also states that Michael paid Joy over $365,000 between March of 2013 and April of 2020.

 

Michael additionally admitted to defrauding the county’s Child Support Enforcement Office by billing it for more hours than he had actually worked.

 

Each individual must serve a minimum of 85% of their sentence. Each will begin a three-year probationary period following their release.