Puckett trial underway

According to the Ledger-Independent, the jury was selected and opening statements were presented Monday in the trial of a charity operator accused of using cash generated from bingo and pull-tabs to pay personal expenses for himself and his wife.
Prosecutors say Gerald E. Puckett, 53, transferred just over $2,000 in charitable gaming funds from one organization to another between October 2006 and November 2006, and eventually withdrew the cash to pay for personal expenses like gas for his vehicle and utilities for his home.
Court records show Puckett and his wife, Joanne Colgan, were the primary operators of the nonprofit organizations Kentucky Charities United, Inc. and Feed God's Children. KCU is now dissolved, but FGC is still registered as an active nonprofit organization with the Kentucky Secretary of State.
Like Puckett, Colgan was also indicted for two counts of diverting charitable gaming funds. Last year Colgan reached a deal with the commonwealth for a five year sentence on the charges, but the state will recommend diversion (similar to probation) in exchange for her testimony against Puckett and her agreement to pay restitution to local charity groups.

Investigators with the Kentucky Department of Charitable Gaming started looking into the operations of KCU soon after the organization received approval to conduct charitable gaming events like bingo on Oct. 14, 2006, according to DCG Director of Licensing Leah Boggs, who testified for the prosecution. Boggs said Department of Charitable Gaming investigators had received informal reports from local residents that KCU was "not a real charity," but the investigation began in earnest after the DCG received a letter from a local businessman about cold checks associated with KCU.
Although the signatures of other KCU officers, including Colgan, appear on accounting documents for the KCU funds, the records indicate Puckett was generally responsible for taking the money from the gaming premises (the bingo hall) and making deposits.
Testimony is expected to continue Tuesday and the case could potentially go to the jury the same day.
If convicted, Puckett faces one to five years in prison on each count.