Former Judge Sentenced on Federal Contempt Charge

Abingdon, VIRGINIA – A former juvenile and domestic relations judge was sentenced this week to prison time on federal contempt of court charges related to his wife’s federal trial on public corruption charges, United States Attorney Rick A. Mountcastle announced.

Kurt Pomrenke, 64, of Bristol, Virginia, was sentenced this week to two months in prison and ordered to pay a fine of $1,000. He was previously found guilty of one count of contempt of court.

According to evidence presented at previous hearings by Assistant United States Attorney Zachary T. Lee, Pomrenke, who was removed by the Virginia State Supreme Court from the bench in a ruling earlier this week, violated a federal judge’s order in regards to the disclosure of discovery materials associated with his wife’s public corruption trial. His wife, Stacey Pomrenke, was a former executive with BVU who was ultimately convicted of federal charges. An investigation into Kurt Pomrenke’s actions during his wife’s trial also proved that he contacted at least two witnesses in an attempt to influence their testimony. In one instance, Kurt Pomrenke included his business card identifying himself as a judge with a handwritten note that he mailed to the potential witness.

The investigation of the case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service.  Assistant United States Attorney Zachary T. Lee prosecuted the case for the United States.