Former Oklahoma State Chair For Trump Campaign Ordered To Pay $125K In Restitution To Child Sex Victim

Former OK state Sen. Ralph Shortey

Former Oklahoma state Sen. Ralph Shortey, who was busted for child sex trafficking, has been ordered to pay more than $125,000 in restitution to his victim.

Shortey, who served as Donald Trump’s state campaign chair in 2016, was arrested in March 2017 after police found him with a 17-year-old boy in a motel room in Moore, Oklahoma. Police found marijuana and condoms on the premises at the time of the arrest.

An affidavit from one of the police investigators revealed text messages between the teen and Shortey showed the former 'family values' lawmaker was looking to pay the boy for sex.

(click image to enlarge - warning: mature language)

Shortey pleaded guilty to one count of child sex trafficking in November 2017 in exchange for three child pornography charges being dropped. He’s currently serving a 15 year prison sentence in Texas.

Although federal prosecutors requested $535,000 in restitution to be paid to the victim, the judge has ordered Shortey pay $125,850.

Shortey does not have the right to appeal the judgment.

According to local news station KFOR, the original $535K figure sought by prosecutors was “to include mental, psychiatric and psychological treatment along with the victim’s estimated lost income resulting from Shortey’s offense.”

The prosecutors pointed out in their motion that the victim “did not complete high school, largely because of the trauma and victimization caused by the defendant.”

The majority of the requested restitution, $410,000, was to offset lost future income as the Social Security Administration calculates a lifetime loss of approximately $410,000 for individuals who don’t finish high school.

But the judge disregarded that argument as speculative since the boy had obtained his GED.

Shortey’s attorney, Ed Blau, told KFOR he felt the judgment was fair, although the victim won’t receive the majority of the funds anytime soon.

“By statute, my client was ordered to pay $125,000 immediately,” said Blau. “Obviously, he’s incarcerated - he’s not going to be able to do that, so what they will do is they’ll take a certain amount off his books each month.”

(h/t KFOR)

Former Oklahoma "Family Values" State Senator Requests And Is Denied Release Pending Sentencing For Child Sex Trafficking

On Thursday, former Oklahoma state Sen. Ralph Shortey, who pleaded guilty to child sex trafficking in connection to meeting a 17-year-old boy at a motel for paid sexual favors, asked Judge Timothy Deguisti to release him pending sentencing.

According to police investigations, the teenager apparently needed money and offered sex acts in exchange for money. Shortey showed up with marijuana and condoms.

Shortey's lawyer based the request for release predicated on Shortey not being a flight risk due to having a wife and his four children who are all homeschooled.

Judge Deguisti denied the request and had Shortey taken into custody.

Shortey, an anti-LGBT, "family values" Republican acted as Donald Trump's Oklahoma state campaign chair during the 2016 presidential election.

(source)

Alabama's Lone Gay Legislator Threatens To Out Colleagues' Marital Infidelities

Alabama state Rep. Patricia Todd has decided she's had enough of the grand espousing of "family values" as an attack on same-sex couples as the marriage equality issue comes to a head in her state.

Speaking to the Daily Times, Todd said:

“I will not stand by and allow legislators to talk about ‘family values’ when they have affairs, and I know of many who are and have,” Todd, the state’s only openly gay lawmaker, said on Facebook over the weekend. “I will call our elected officials who want to hide in the closet out.”

"If certain people come out and start espousing this rhetoric about family values, then I will say, 'Let's talk about family values, because here's what I heard.' I don't have direct knowledge, because obviously I'm not the other person involved in the affair. But one thing you would never hear about me is that I ever cheated on a partner or had an affair," said Todd.

"One thing I'm pretty consistent on is I do not like hypocrites," she added. "If you can explain your position and you hold yourself to the same standard you want to hold me to, then fine. But you cannot go out there and smear my community by condemning us and somehow making us feel less than, and expect me to be quiet."

After reading some anti-gay rhetoric based on "family values" attacking the recent ruling which struck down Alabama's same-sex marriage ban, Todd issued her not-too-veiled threat.

Marriage equality is currently on hold - AGAIN - as Judge Granade issued a last minute 14 day stay on her ruling.

The Attorney General of Alabama is heading to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in hopes of a longer stay on the ruling.