Former state lottery commissioner Kevin Geddings pleaded for mercy this morning from a federal judge who will sentence him this afternoon on mail fraud charges for hiding his business ties to a major lottery vendor.
Geddings told U.S. District Court Judge James C. Dever III that a lengthy prison sentence would take him away from his young children during a critical phase in their lives. He said his actions were “all a mistake.”
“I should have been more careful in filling out those ethics forms,” Geddings said. “Looking around, I can see that is the understatement of my life.”
But federal prosecutor Dennis Duffy argued that Geddings had lied repeatedly about his involvement with Scientific Games.
“This was a well-calculated scheme,” Duffy told the court.
Dever, who is expected to sentence Geddings later today, will be considering a sentenced within a range of 33 to 41 months under federal sentencing guidelines.
Before taking a break this morning, Dever determined that Geddings perjured himself during his trial in October. That finding could lead to an increase in Geddings’ sentence.
But Dever dismissed claims by prosecutors that Geddings should face an even harsher sentence because his actions led to a loss of public confidence in the lottery and cost the state money because there was only one true bidder to operate the lottery for the state.
A federal jury in October convicted Geddings in October of five counts of mail fraud.
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