On February 4, 2021, owners of Bluegrass Training and Therapy Center (BTTC) in Louisville, Kentucky, were sentenced in the Western District of Kentucky for bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds: BTTC co-owner Clifford “Jay” Wilkinson was sentenced to nine months of home confinement and two years of probation; BTTC co-owner Erica Bowen was sentenced to three months of home confinement and two years of probation; and Wilkinson and Bowen were jointly ordered to pay $48,258 in restitution. On February 5, 2021, former Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) Social Services Specialist, Shannon Anson, was sentenced in the Western District of Kentucky to 30 days of home confinement, two years of probation, and ordered to pay $50,500 in restitution for bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds. According to the factual statements in support of the guilty pleas, from in or about August 2013 through in or about July 2015, Wilkinson and Bowen knowingly and corruptly gave payments in the amount of $50,500 to Anson, intending to influence and reward Anson, as opportunities arose, in connection with business contracts that DJJ had with the BTTC, specifically business contracts relating to committed probated youth placed by DJJ with BTTC. The BTTC was funded in part with DOJ Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention funds. The investigation was conducted by the OIG’s Chicago Field Office, Fraud Detection Office, and Cyber Investigations Office, as well as the Kentucky Attorney General and the Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet.
Date
Case Action
Sentencing