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Former Lincoln County Judge Pleads Guilty to Embezzlement

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CHANDLER, Okla. (AP) — A former Lincoln County judge has pleaded guilty to embezzling money from his private legal clients.

Records indicate former Associate District Judge Craig S. Key pleaded guilty Friday to 24 counts in 11 cases. Key was sentenced to five years in prison and five years of probation. He also must pay more than $527,000 in restitution.

Key was indicted by Oklahoma's multicounty grand jury in 2013 for stealing cattle and a trailer and embezzling from his clients. He worked as an attorney before surrendering his law license after being indicted.

Key's attorney, Cheryl Ramsey, says her client is in poor health and had hoped for a sentence with no prison time.

As a judge, Key oversaw the case of Kelsey Smith-Briggs, a 2-year-old girl who died from abuse in 2005.