Steven B. Jones
Steven B. Jones, 49, a former deputy director of the Arkansas Department of Human Services, pleaded guilty Thursday to conspiracy and bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds.
Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and First Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick C. Harris of the Eastern District of Arkansas made the announcement in a news release.
The attorneys said Jones provided official assistance in exchange for bribes from the owner of two mental health companies. The attorneys did not name the companies other others involved in what they called a “conspiracy.”
(Update, Oct. 6, 2014: DHS has identified Ted Suhl as “Person C.”)
Jones, of Marion, is scheduled for a sentencing hearing on April 2 before U.S. District Judge Billy Roy Wilson.
According to the plea agreement, Jones was deputy director of ADHS from April 2007 until July 2013. While there, attorneys said, “Jones solicited and accepted multiple cash payments and other things of value from the owner of two businesses that provided inpatient and outpatient mental health services to juveniles. This individual provided the cash payments and other things of value to Jones through the use of two intermediaries, a local pastor and a former county probation officer and city councilman.”
(More: Download PDFs of the information, the plea agreement and the factual basis in the case.)
As part of his plea agreement, Jones admitted that in return for the bribes, he provided official assistance, including providing internal ADHS information about the individual’s businesses.
Jones also admitted that he and other members of the conspiracy hid their dealings by holding meetings at restaurants in Memphis or rural Arkansas; funnelled cash payments through the pastor’s church; provided bribe payments in cash so that the transactions would be difficult to track; and spoke in code during phone conversations.
Jones most recently worked for Southern Bancorp Community Partners. He resigned Aug. 15, according to spokesman Nathan Pittman. He is a former member of the Arkansas General Assembly.
A spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney’s office said the statutory sentence for conspiracy to commit bribery and honest services wire fraud is not more than five years in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine followed by not more than three years of supervised release.
The statutory sentence for bribery in relation to federal program fraud is not more than 10 years in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine followed by not more than three years of supervised release, she said.
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