(AP) – Federal prosecutors say an Arkansas judge admitted last month to taking $100,000 in bribes from an indicted lobbyist while the judge was a state lawmaker.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Mohlhenrich said Jefferson County Judge Henry “Hank” Wilkins IV admitted to taking bribes in a Feb. 22 statement to the FBI. Wilkins hasn’t been charged with any crime.
The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports Mohlhenrich referenced the incident Friday in Missouri federal court during the arraignment of indicted lobbyist Milton Russell Cranford on corruption charges.
Wilkins served in the Legislature from 2011 to 2015. During that time, authorities say Wilkins received money from Cranford in the form of donations to a Pine Bluff church where Wilkins is pastor.
Wilkins didn’t immediately return an e-mail seeking comment Saturday. His cellphone couldn’t accept a voicemail.
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