Crunching the numbers behind Arkansas Republicans’ scheme to squeeze the budget and dole out tax cuts for the rich.
General IMprovement Fund
Posted inArkansas Blog
8th Circuit upholds former Sen. Jon Woods’ conviction in bribery case
The end of the legal line is near for the former senator, who has almost 14 years remaining on his sentence.
Posted inArkansas Blog
Winner in pork barrel spending lawsuit says Rutledge shouldn’t get leftover money for more advertising
Let the legislature, and only the legislature, spend state money, lawsuiit victors ask.
Posted inArkansas Blog
Supreme Court finally approves attorney fees in case over illegal state pork barrel spending
At last: Attorney fees for the men who brought down the General Improvement Fund pork barrel scandal.
Posted inArkansas Blog
Judge again orders attorney fees in GIF scam lawsuit
Judge Chris Piazza has again ordered payment of $323,267 in attorney fees to John Ogles for his legal work, along with Mike Wilson, in Wilson’s third challenge of unconstitutional pork barreling by the Arkansas legislature.
Posted inArkansas Blog
Leslie Rutledge v. taxpayers: Chapter 3
The item on the Ecclesia Colege scandal brought a comment from another lawyer Attorney General Leslie Rutledge is fighting in court for his effort to correct the wrongs done by the legislature in the unconstitutional General Improvement Fund boondoggle.
Posted inArkansas Blog
State to seek repayment from Ecclesia College. At last.
Doug Thompson reported in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette today that the state Finance and Administration Department has asked Attorney General Leslie Rutledge to sue to recover at least $600,000 of the $700,000 in tax money sent to the private Ecclesia College in a scheme orchestrated by legislators who took kickbacks from the money. It’s about time.
Posted inArkansas Blog
Oren Paris gets three years for Christian college kickback scheme
The sentencing hearing has begun in Fayetteville for Oren Paris III, the former president of Ecclesia College, who’s pleaded guilty to paying kickbacks in return for state money funneled to the college. The government has recommended an offense level that could produce a sentence ranging from 87 to 108 months, but Judge Timothy Brooks has not imposed the maximum guideline sentencing in two previous related cases. UPDATE: Oren Paris III, the former president of Ecclesia College, who’s pleaded guilty to paying kickbacks in return for state money funneled to the college,, was sentenced today to three years in federal prison, three years of supervised release and ordered to pay restitution of $621,500.
Posted inArkansas Blog
Government disputes Neal claim to be minor player in bribery scheme
The opening round of sentences for two of those convicted with a bribery scheme involving state money shipped to Ecclesia College in Springdale probably didn’t calm the nerves of two defendants who’ll be sentenced next week. And the government has disputed the claim of one of them to have been a minor player in the crime.
Posted inArkansas Blog
Sentencing set for four in Ecclesia College kickback case
Federal Judge Timothy Brooks has set sentencing on four days in September for four men convicted in the scheme to pay kickbacks out of state General Improvement Fund money guided to, particularly, Ecclesia College in Springdale.