CHARLESTON - A former member of West Virginia's House of Delegates has been indicted by a federal grand jury on racketeering charges for allegedly running illegal gambling rings in Logan, W.Va., and South Williamson, Ky..

Joseph Cleveland Ferrell is accused of buying influence and votes in order to further his gambling enterprises.

"Ferrell sought this position [in the House of Delegates] in order to protect the business of Southern Amusement by, among other things, influencing proposed and pending legislation regarding the operation of video lottery machines," the indictment states.

Ferrell is charged with bribing elected officials, including a former mayor of Logan and the sheriff-Elect of Logan County in 2000, in order to continue profiting from his illegal gambling enterprise, which included slot machines and video poker machines.

The 48-page indictment includes paying for a trip the mayor took to New Orleans, several counts of mail fraud, and inter-state travel to distribute money obtained from the gambling businesses.

Ferrell, 62, of Chapmanville, is also accused of buying votes in Logan County during the 2002 primary election, and with bribing investigators with the West Virginia Lottery.

The indictment further states Ferrell paid an employee in cash to defraud the Social Security Administration.

Ferrell became a major video machine owner in 1995, when he bought Southern Amusement Co. from the family of Senate President Earl Ray Tomblin. The company is also named as a defendant in the indictment.