Office of the Attorney General
Former Bell County Dentist Indicted on Charges of Jury Tampering

Attorney General Jack Conway today announced the indictment of Craig Ralston, a former dentist in Bell County, on five counts of jury tampering, a Class D felony. The Bell County grand jury handed down the indictment on Wednesday, June 17, 2009.

On February 17, 2009, Ralston was on trial in Bell County Circuit Court for charges of defrauding the Kentucky Medicaid Assistance Program. During a break in the proceedings, Ralston allegedly attempted to influence some of the jurors in that case by making comments to them outside of the courtroom. Because of his actions, a mistrial was ordered and he was held in contempt of court and taken into custody.

Investigators from the Office of the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud and Abuse Control Division handled the investigation of both cases and prosecutors from the same division are handling the prosecution of both cases.

A new trial date in the Medicaid Fraud case is set for August 11, 2009 in Bell County Circuit Court. No date has been set yet for arraignment of the jury tampering case.

An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent until or unless found guilty.