Arkansas Republican Scandals | Updated List of GOP Scandals in AR
Arkansas Republican Executive Branch Scandals
-
11/30/09Commuted the sentence of a man who later went on to kill four police officers execution style in Lakewood, WA in a crime that wouldn't have happened if the criminal had to complete his 95-year sentence for burglary and robbery
According to news reports from credible media outlets
Arkansas Republican Judge Scandals
-
Mike MaggioFmr. State Judge [R-AR]
10/23/21Accepted an illegal $24k campaign donation from the owner of a nursing home with an active case before his court and tried to obfuscate its origins by teaming with a coconspirator and former Republican state senator to act as an intermediary and then one day later drastically reduced the amount the nursing home was ordered to pay a family for gross negligence from $5.2 million to $1 million
According to charging documents filed by federal officials
Arkansas Republican State Legislator Scandals
-
Gilbert BakerFmr. State Senator [R-AR]
10/23/21Pocketed at least $6k to facilitate a bribe between the owner of a nursing home and a judge with an active case that involved the nursing home before his court
According to charging documents filed by federal officials -
Jake FilesFmr. State Senator [R-AR]
6/18/18Pocketed $46,500 in state grants designated for community upgrades by manipulating the bidding process to award his company a contract for work that was never done
According to charging documents filed by federal officials -
Jeremy HutchinsonFmr. State Senator [R-AR]25 Years in GOP
2/03/23Illegally spent over $100,000 in campaign contributions on personal expenses and then tried to cover it up by filing numerous false tax returns
He pleaded guilty to tax and wire fraud and was sentenced to 46 months in prison and ordered to pay over $350,000 in fines
12/30/22Failed to pay over $625k in court-ordered child support even after a judge found he easily had the finances to do so and was held in contempt of court and jailed until he paid it off in full
According to court documents reported by local newspapers
6/25/19Accepted cash bribes totaling over $150,000 from the co-owner of orthodontic clinics in exchange for his efforts to help overturn a dental practices law he didn't like
According to charging documents filed by federal officials -
Jon WoodsFmr. State Senator [R-AR]
3/01/17Directed roughly $600,000 in taxpayer money to a Christian college and another non-profit organization in exchange for a large financial payoff that was facilitated through a third-party consulting company who concealed the bribes
According to charging documents filed by federal officials -
Micah NealFmr. State Representative
1/05/17Received a $38k bribe to funnel $600k in government funds to a private evangelical Christian college and another non-profit organization
According to charging documents filed by federal officials
Other Arkansas Republican Scandals
-
Anthony BoenFmr. Sheriff [R-AR]
3/12/22Slammed a detainee onto the floor and ripped his hair during an interrogation and later asked corrections officers who witnessed the assault to lie about what they saw to investigators
According to charging documents filed by federal officials
3/12/22Punched a detainee in the head multiple times with a closed fist while they were shackled to a bench and returned a short time later to punch him in the head a second time before spitting on him and later asked corrections officers who witnessed the assault to lie about what they saw to investigators
According to charging documents filed by federal officials -
Scott FinkbeinerFmr. Sheriff [R-AR]
5/05/25Illegally contacted a witness he was ordered to refrain from speaking with and was ordered to be held behind bars until he's sentenced for a separate crime he pled guilty to
According to charging documents filed by local officials
2/14/25Consumed crystal meth at a drug house he drove to in his marked police vehicle while dressed in uniform and then lied to federal investigators when they questioned him
According to charging documents filed by state and federal officials
12/18/23Unbuttoned his pants and forced his victim to manually stimulate him while high on crystal meth at a local drug house after he unsuccessfully propositioned her for sex while also being married
According to charging documents filed by state and federal officials -
Jimmy StephensFmr. Sheriff [R-AR]
10/25/23Was caught with unprescribed pain killers, smokable marijuana and marijuana butter in his patrol car after the FBI requested that the Arkansas state police pull him over because they had just witnessed him exit a suspected drug house under their surveillance
According to charging documents filed by local police
