This story has been updated with new information and correct spelling errors.
A Jefferson County Family Court judge decided on March 24 to sentence former Gov. Matt Bevin to 60 days in jail or a $500 fine after he was found in contempt of court for violating an order in an ongoing divorce case.
Bevin did not attend the March 24 hearing in person, he said, because he had attended a relative’s funeral in Oklahoma the day before and had not yet arrived in Kentucky when he stopped to appear on Zoom. Bevin also appeared on Zoom during a March 20 contempt hearing. After the last hearing, Judge Angela Johnson ordered Bevin to submit financial documents, including state and federal tax returns and bank statements, by 10 a.m. March 24 in order to avoid potential penalties against him.
An arrest warrant filed March 24 shows Bevin was given a $500 cash bond and must also provide financial records before being released from custody. It’s unclear when Bevin will return to Kentucky after his out-of-state funeral.
The sentencing decision came after Johnson ruled that Bevin did not act in “good faith” when he was ordered to provide “complete and unredacted” financial information related to his adopted son Jonah Bevin’s retroactive child support request. Jonah Bevan intervened in his parents’ divorce to try to get payment for the time he spent as a teenager at a “troubled youth” academy, one of which was raided by police over abuse allegations.
Matt Bevin told the court he had “provided all disclosures and documentation regarding his personal income” and that anything else was “relevant to the court”.
Johnson said she asked Bevin for his complete financial records going back to 2025 “on more than one occasion.”
“I can’t treat you any differently than anyone else,” she said.
Matt Bevin’s attorney, Jesse Mulder, who filed a motion a day earlier asking Johnson to recuse himself from the case, objected to Johnson’s sentencing decision and said in court that he would seek an opinion from the Kentucky Supreme Court on the matter. Mulder declined to comment to reporters after the hearing.
Prior to the sentencing decision, Johnson denied Mulder’s motion to recuse himself, saying the motion had not been properly filed. She also said she sought advice from the Kentucky Supreme Court on the recusal motion and decided it was best to move forward with the March 24 hearing.
Johnson said the March 27 hearing on child support will remain as scheduled unless the Kentucky Supreme Court decides it should be postponed.
After the proceedings concluded on March 24, Jonah Bevin’s attorney, Melina Hettiaratchi, told reporters that she believed Johnson showed restraint in his ruling and that a higher fine and longer sentence could have been imposed because Bevin was not present.
“Instead, she gave him a chance in court,” she said.
Jonah Bevin’s attorneys argued on March 20 that the former governor failed to provide additional documents, including his most recent state and federal tax returns, as well as bank account statements and other financial disclosures, that would be relevant to his March 27 trial to determine what relief the young man is entitled to.
The Courier Journal previously reported that the financial disclosure statements initially filed by Matt Bevin had been significantly revised. He then submitted the document again, blacking out only his home address.
background: Former governor. Matt Bevin found in contempt of court over child support payments
At issue in the child support fight is the diploma Jonah Bevin received from a Florida boarding school, which his attorneys say may not be legal.
The former governor’s ex-wife, Glenna Bevin, is a party in the case, but her adopted son’s attorneys are not trying to find her in contempt of court. Attorney John Helmers previously said she had done nothing that “directly affected our ability to move the case forward.”
Glenna Bevin filed for divorce in 2023, calling her marriage to Matt Bevin “irretrievably broken down.” The divorce was finalized in 2025, but Jonah Bevin stepped into the case last spring.
Lucas Auerbach contributed. Contact reporter Leo Bertucci at lbertucci@usatodayco.com or @leober2chee on X (formerly Twitter)
This article originally appeared in the Louisville Courier-Journal: Matt Bevin faces jail, fines for contempt of court
