A longtime Democratic operative pled guilty to a kickback scandal last week. Political consultant Larry O’Bryan confessed that he acted as the middleman in an illegal scheme with Tim Longmeyer, Governor Beshear's former Personnel Cabinet Secretary. O’Bryan admitted that he funneled payoffs between Longmeyer and a Lexington consulting company. This was done in return to help secure state contracts with Humana and Anthem. O’Bryan agreed to pay the state $642,000 which is the amount of the kickbacks he received from the consultant. The investigation is ongoing and other charges are likely to be filed. This sad tale of corruption hurts the public trust but it also damages the people and families involved. O'Bryan and Longmeyer were painfully reminded that no amount of money is worth losing dignity, being separated from their families or going to jail for.