In a week, former commonwealth’s attorney Ronnie Goldy will be sentenced in federal court after being convicted of charges tied to the allegation he used his power and influence as a prosecutor to do court favors for a criminal defendant in exchange for nude photos of her.
The allegations against Goldy began in 2022 when dozens of Facebook messages between Goldy and the defendant, Misty Helton, were released. At the time, Goldy was the commonwealth's attorney for Bath, Menifee, Montgomery and Rowan counties.
Helton was a key witness in Goldy’s federal trial, and she spoke with LEX 18 Investigates back in 2022 after the messages first came to light.
Goldy’s attorney filed a memorandum last week asking the judge for leniency in his sentencing. The attorney asked for just under three years in prison, the minimum, due to Goldy’s mother’s recent cancer diagnosis.
In a memorandum filed this week, federal prosecutor Andy Boone asked the judge to apply enhancers to Goldy’s sentence for false testimony at trial and for using a minor to assist in avoiding detection of his crimes. Boone asked for the judge to give Goldy 51 months, just over 4 years, the highest sentence within the range recommended with the enhancements.
Prosecutors also asked that a fine of $15,000 be imposed against Goldy.
Boone argued that Goldy perjured himself at multiple points during the trial, including the times Goldy denied ever requesting sexually explicit photos of Helton. The messages show otherwise, he argues.
Boone also wrote that Goldy used a juvenile's cell phone to message Helton to tell her not to talk to the news or to law enforcement.
Helton didn’t speak to anyone about Goldy until her interview with LEX 18 that was published on Sept. 6, 2022, Boone wrote. That was more than three months after the Goldy messages came to line.
Goldy will be sentenced on May 24.
