Ex-Mo. governor charged with mishandling donation


April 12, 2012 at 1:15p.m.

Ex-Mo. governor charged with mishandling donation

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Former Missouri Gov. Roger Wilson has been indicted on charges related to an illegal political donation made after he left office.

Wilson was chief executive for two years of the Missouri Employers Mutual Insurance Co., a firm created by the state Legislature to provide worker’s compensation insurance. He was indicted along with Edward Griesedieck III of St. Louis.

The indictment announced today claims Griesedieck had his law firm donate $5,000 to the Missouri Democratic Party and then hid the cost in legal bills submitted to Missouri Employers Mutual Insurance Co. Prosecutors say Wilson knew of the illegal contribution when he approved payment.

Wilson served briefly as governor after Mel Carnahan died in a plane crash in 2000.

If convicted, Wilson and Griesedieck face up to a year in prison.