Former W.Va. Justice Sentenced to Prison for Fleet Card Misuse

Allen Loughry, a former justice of the Supreme Court of Appeals in West Virginia, was sentenced to two years in prison by a federal judge and ordered to pay restitution totaling $1,273 to the State of West Virginia and the Pound Civil Justice Institute after it was discovered that he used fleet vehicles for personal use and claimed vehicle mileage reimbursement for fuel purchased through a fleet fuel card.

In June 2018, Loughry was indicted on 22 charges of fraud, providing false statement, and witness tampering after it was revealed that he misused Supreme Court fleet vehicles. In October 2018, a federal jury found Loughry guilty of one count of mail fraud, seven counts of wire fraud, and two counts of lying to the FBI, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

An investigation conducted by the FBI and West Virginia Commission on Special Investigations found that Loughry claimed personal vehicle mileage when attending a conference, but drove a fleet vehicle to the event, leading to the mail fraud charge. Seven wire fraud convictions are related to Loughry’s use of a government fuel card to fuel vehicles for travel during holidays, weekends, and to and from events related to Loughry’s book, which is about public corruption. Among the two convictions for lying to the FBI, Loughry claimed he never used a state vehicle for personal use.

“Public corruption is a betrayal of the public's sacred trust,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert Jones. “There is no level of acceptable corruption. The FBI will work tirelessly to make sure those in power positions uphold the law and are held to the highest standards.”