Former Mayfield/Graves County Chamber president pleads guilty

FRANKFORT, Ky. (KT) - Attorney General Russell Coleman announced on Tuesday that action by the Attorney General's Special Prosecutions Unit resulted in the guilty plea of Allison Morris, 48, of Graves County for unlawful theft from the Mayfield/ Graves County Chamber of Commerce.

Allison Morris will pay the Graves County chamber $20,000 in restitution and serve a five-year sentence with her guilty plea.

Morris, the former President of the Mayfield/Graves County Chamber, pleaded guilty in Graves County Circuit Court to one count of Theft by Unlawful Taking or Disposition, Greater than $10,000 and less than $1 Million (a Class C Felony punishable by 5-10 years in prison).  As conditions of the plea, Morris will pay $20,000 in restitution to the Chamber and receive a five-year sentence. Morris will be sentenced on April 22.

According to court documents, Morris admitted to stealing funds from the Chamber between May 2021 to February 2024 to pay for personal expenses. A Graves County Grand Jury indicted Morris in May 2024.

At the time the indictment was made public, the chamber's attorney, David Reily, shared a statement on the chamber's behalf regarding the investigation. The statement said near the end of 2023 and into early 2024, a review of the chamber's records revealed several "unexpected and unauthorized" transactions on the chamber's financial accounts, including credit cards and checking accounts.

In the statement, the chamber said the unauthorized transactions appeared to be with vendors for items unrelated to chamber business. Additionally, cash was unaccounted for. The theft totaled around $50,000, the Kentucky State Police (KSP) said at the time.

"In the aftermath of the Western Kentucky tornadoes, the people of Graves County needed leaders with laser focus on rebuilding the community. I'm grateful to the investigators and prosecutors who held this thief accountable for her reprehensible actions," Coleman said.

The KSP investigated the matter, while Assistant Attorney General Lindsey Studebaker prosecuted the case on behalf of the Commonwealth.