Jon Woods
Jeremy Hutchinson Sentenced to 50 Months for Corruption
The sentence adds to prison time he received in December for tax fraud. He now faces eight years behind bars. read more >
Nonprofit Health Execs Plead Guilty in Arkansas Bribery Case
Under the terms of their respective plea agreements, they must forfeit to the government up to $4.3 million. read more >
Ecclesia Fallout Includes Taxpayer Lawsuit
Three years after its president resigned on his way to federal prison after participating in a state grant kickback scheme, Ecclesia College continues to deal with the repercussions. read more >
by Mark Friedman -
New Jersey Man Faces Sentencing in Arkansas Corruption Case
Federal prosecutors have recommended a reduced sentence for a New Jersey political consultant caught in an Arkansas political corruption case. read more >
by Associated Press -
Rusty Cranford Gets 7-Year Sentence in Corruption Scheme
Milton R. "Rusty" Cranford was sentenced to seven years in prison, according to a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Western District of Missouri. read more >
by Associated Press -
A Little Side Hustle (Gwen Moritz Editor’s Note)
If it’s absolutely legal and ethical and in the state’s best interest for the Crime Lab to contract with a company owned by its assistant director, and if no bidding is necessary on the specific item being purchased, why pay extra for a middleman? read more >
by Gwen Moritz -
Arkansas Grapples with Ethics Cleanup Amid Federal Probes
Arkansas has had its share of notable corruption cases over the years, including when the governor who succeeded Bill Clinton was convicted in a Whitewater-related probe and when a state treasurer was caught accepting bribes stashed in pie boxes. read more >
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Some Ethics Amendment (Editorial)
An ethics amendment crafted by a corrupt legislator, Woods, that doesn’t require a legislator to disclose that he has a financial relationship with people who have business before that committee is flawed indeed. read more >
Ecclesia Moves to Convert Property to Cash, Shed Debt
New leadership at Ecclesia College plans to sell Benton County acreage linked with a grant kickback scandal that ensnared the president of Ecclesia College, two state legislators and a lobbyist middleman. read more >
by George Waldon -
How Quapaw Is Picking Up Preferred Family Healthcare’s Pieces
The end of Preferred Family Healthcare’s implosion in Arkansas, which jolted the state’s Medicaid service industry and scarred its political landscape, came not with a bang, but with a text. read more >
by Kyle Massey -
Ex-Arkansas State Senator Due to Report for Prison Sentence
Former Arkansas state Sen. Jon Woods is due to report to federal prison to begin a more than 18-year prison sentence for his role in a bribery scheme. read more >
by Associated Press -
Chocolate and Peanut Butter (Gwen Moritz Editor’s Note)
I have a couple of favorite topics: white-collar crime and personal finance. A story that combines the two is as irresistible as chocolate and peanut butter. read more >
by Gwen Moritz -
Tied to Arkansas Corruption, Preferred Family Healthcare Seeks Sale
An Arkansas mental health treatment company says it's working to purchase the Arkansas operations of a similar Missouri company tied to a political corruption investigation. read more >
by Associated Press -
Update: Judge Grants Ex-Lawmaker’s ‘Pipe Dream’ of Probation
Former state Rep. Micah Neal, who pleaded guilty last year to a corruption charge related to a kickbacks scheme involving Ecclesia College in Springdale, was sentenced Thursday to three years of probation. "I threw it all away, there are no excuses on my part," Neal told the court. read more >
by -
Updated: Oren Paris III Sentenced to 3 Years for Kickbacks
Oren Paris III, the former president of Ecclesia College in Springdale, was sentenced Wednesday to three years in prison for his role in a corruption scandal involving kickbacks on state grants. read more >
by -
Compare and Contrast (Editorial)
Cliff Baker, founder of the Arkansas Repertory Theatre, died last week at the age of 70. Under his guidance, the Rep developed a national reputation for quality and engendered intense loyalty among theater lovers in the state. read more >
Say Hooray For Our Side (Gwen Moritz Editor’s Note)
I never want anyone to be a crook, you know, but nothing pleases me more than seeing crooks get caught and punished. If there was a radio call-in show for federal court spectators, I’d be on a first-name basis with the screener. read more >
by Gwen Moritz -
Consultant Sentenced to 6 Years for Role in Kickback Scheme
A consultant who was convicted of funneling kickbacks to Arkansas lawmakers in exchange for keeping some of the money has been sentenced to six years in prison. read more >
by Associated Press -
Update: Jon Woods Sentenced to 220 Months in Prison for Kickback Scheme
Jon Woods, the former state senator from Springdale, was sentenced Wednesday to 220 months in prison for what U.S. District Judge Timothy Brooks called “bastardization” of the legislative process. read more >
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Former State Sen. Jon Woods to Be Sentenced Wednesday
Jon Woods, the former state senator from Springdale, is scheduled for sentencing Wednesday in Fayetteville, and his co-defendant in a notorious public corruption case will be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Timothy Brooks on Thursday. read more >
by Gwen Moritz -
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