{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-522.050","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 522.050","heading":"Abuse of public trust.","body":"(1) A public servant who is entrusted with public money or property by reason of\nholding public office or employment, exercising the functions of a public officer or\nemployee, or participating in performing a governmental function, is guilty of abuse\nof public trust when:\n(a) He or she obtains public money or property subject to a known legal\nobligation to make specified payment or other disposition, whether from the\npublic money or property or its proceeds; and\n(b) He or she intentionally deals with the public  money or property as his or her\nown and fails to make the required payment or disposition.\n(2) A public servant is presumed:\n(a) To know any legal obligation relative to his or her criminal liability under this\nsection; and\n(b) To have dealt with the public money or property as his or her own when:\n1. He or she fails to account upon lawful demand; or\n2. An audit reveals a shortage or falsification of accounts.\n(3) Abuse of public trust is:\n(a) A Class D felony if the value of the public money or property i s less than ten\nthousand dollars ($10,000);\n(b) A Class C felony if the value of the public money or property is ten thousand\ndollars ($10,000) or more, but less than one hundred thousand dollars\n($100,000); and\n(c) A Class B felony if the value of the pub lic money or property is one hundred\nthousand dollars ($100,000) or more.\n(4) The judgment of conviction under this section shall recite that the offender is\ndisqualified to hold any public office thereafter.\n(5) Conduct serving as the basis for the conviction of a public servant under this section\nshall not also be used to obtain a conviction of the public servant under KRS\n514.070.","path":["KRS Chapter 522"],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=19891","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T21:00:03Z","sha256":"20e7355020dddecdced106e3043f4c2ea6e5f28f95c5947e0045929cbb372679","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-522.040","next":"us-ky/krs-523.010"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}