Mike Raita, the former executive director of the International Motorsports Hall of Fame, has been charged with one count of using his public position for personal gain.
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall announced the indictment and arrest of Raita, 67, on Tuesday. He turned himself in to the Talladega County Sheriff’s Office last Thursday and was released the same day after posting a $25,000 bond, according to arrest records.
The indictment stems from a state audit of the Hall of Fame that found 35 issues with the commission overseeing the museum.
The audit revealed that Raita purchased a 1968 Camaro Convertible Pace Car from the commission for $15,000 after the commission had spent more than $22,000 on repairs to the car. Raita’s wife also purchased a 1998 F-150 from the commission for $1,000, the audit said.
Raita served as the director of the museum in Talladega from 2020 to 2024. He was a longtime sports broadcaster at ABC 33/40 in Birmingham from 1996 to 2017.
The 67-year-old was also previously a regional director for U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, based in Hoover. A Tuberville spokesperson said he is no longer employed in the senator’s office.
Raita’s attorney, Tommy Spina, told AL.com he will not plead guilty.
“Mike has done nothing intentionally that the law forbids and all of his actions were done with the authority and blessing of the Hall of Fame chairman and board of directors,” Spina said in an email to AL.com.
The audit led to Gov. Kay Ivey replacing the entire Motor Sports Commission last year.
If convicted, Raita faces up to 20 years in prison and a $30,000 fine for a class B felony.
Former accounts manager of the museum, Karen Lakey, was also charged Monday with using her official position for personal gain, according to arrest records. She was released the same day after posting a $25,000 bond.
The audit alleged that Lakey misspent $236,600, including $74,541 in payments made to creditors not related to the commission, about $22,500 in checks written to cash or cash withdrawn from commission accounts, and more than $40,000 paid to the former account manager’s family members.