Carl C. Perkins

Carl Christopher Perkins (born August 6, 1954), son of Carl D. Perkins, was a United States Representative from the 7th district of Kentucky. He was born in Washington, D.C. and graduated from Fort Hunt High School, Alexandria, Virginia in 1972. In 1976, he earned his B.A. from Davidson College, Davidson, North Carolina. In 1978, he earned his J.D. from the University of Louisville in Louisville, Kentucky. He worked for some time as a lawyer in private practice. From 1981 to 1984, he was a member of the Kentucky House of Representatives. Perkins was elected simultaneously as a Democrat to the 98th and the 99th Congress by special election, to fill the vacancy caused by the death of his father, Representative Carl Dewey Perkins, and reelected to the three succeeding Congresses (November 6 1984–January 3 1993). He was not a candidate for re-election to Congress in 1992; the seat he held, Kentucky's 7th district, was lost to redistricting and he did not seek a new seat. Also by this time controversy from the House banking scandal was rapidly catching up to Perkins.

Election law violations

On December 13, 1994 the United States Department of Justice announced that Perkins had been charged with three federal felony charges in a U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. and that Perkins had agreed to plead guilty to the charges. The charges against Perkins were:

• Count One: conspiring to make false statements in reports to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371 and 18 U.S.C. § 1001, specifically that Perkins caused the Carl C. Perkins Election Committee to file false reports with the FEC in 1989 and 1990. The reports listed as legitimate campaign expenses $45,584, which was improperly disbursed to Perkins or others for the benefit of Perkins.
• Count Two: bank fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1344, arising from Perkins' participation in: (1) a check kiting scheme during the period April 1990 through July 1990, involving various financial institutions, including the banking facility of the Sergeant At Arms of the House of Representatives (House Bank) and (2) a scheme to defraud various financial institutions in Kentucky in connection with loans obtained by Perkins based on misrepresentations of the purpose of the loans or the submission of false financial information.
• Count Three: violating the false statements statute, 18 U.S.C. § 1001, based on defendant's material omission or underreporting of $946,135 in liabilities on his United States House of Representatives Financial Disclosure Statement for calendar year 1990.

Perkins faced a maximum penalty under the three counts of 40 years in prison and a $1.5 million fine. Also on December 13, 1994 an information was filed against Martha Amburgey, age 34, a former secretary for Perkins when he was a Member of Congress. Amburgey agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to file false statements with the FEC concerning the Carl C. Perkins Election Committee and aiding and abetting bank fraud involving a check kiting scheme. She faced a maximum sentence of 35 years in prison and $500,000 in fines. Perkins was sentenced to 21 months in prison under the three federal charges. In March 2000, Perkins pleaded guilty to criminal contempt of court for lying to a federal probation officer about his income.

Post-political life

According to a Lexington Herald-Leader article that ran on December 5, 2004, after serving his term in prison, Perkins enrolled in Louisville Seminary where he earned a Masters in Divinity Degree. He was ordained as a Presbyterian minister in 2004. Perkins is now serving as pastor of Ezel United Presbyterian Church in Ezel (Morgan County), Kentucky.

External links

• Carl C. Perkins at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress