FRANKFORT, Ky. — With the federal fraud and theft trial of a suspended Pike circuit judge now just a week away, the case has seen a flurry of activity.

Howard Keith Hall is charged with two counts of mail fraud and one count of theft of government funds.

Prosecutors allege that when Hall served as county attorney, he hired Shane Hall as an assistant county attorney and paid him $440,000 in salary and benefits over a 10-year period, despite performing little to no work for the office. The government says another part of the scheme was that Shane Hall’s law firm paid Howard Keith Hall more than half a million dollars in distributions from his law firm.

Judge Hall has pleaded not guilty and denied any wrongdoing.

Judge Hall’s attorney had made motions to exclude the evidence of the payments from Shane Hall’s law firm, saying there was nothing improper about the payments and that the prosecution was attempting to make them appear to be bribes or kickbacks. A second motion sought to block prosecutors from introducing evidence that Judge Hall had paid other employees who performed little or no work.

On Friday, the judge denied both requests, allowing the government to use the evidence at trial.

Prosecutors have also filed a five-page list of exhibits they plan to introduce at trial. The list includes bank records for both Judge Hall and Shane Hall, text messages between the two men, payroll records and court filings.

Jury selection is scheduled to begin on Friday, with opening arguments taking place Monday in Frankfort federal court.

Copies of the orders denying the exclusion of evidence and the prosecution’s list of exhibits follow: