LITTLE ROCK — Former Arkansas Treasurer Martha Shoffner on Thursday entered an innocent plea to charges she steered state investments to a bond broker who paid her $36,000 in cash.
Shoffner appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Joe Volpe on Thursday for her arraignment after Volpe had denied her request to waive her appearance at the hearing. Shoffner's trial is preliminarily set to begin July 29, though the initial dates are often postponed.
Shoffner spoke only to tell the judge she was pleading "not guilty" during the brief hearing. Afterward, she answered some questions from reporters as she walked with her attorney, Chuck Banks, to their vehicle.
"We're just moving forward," Shoffner said as she walked down the steps in front of the courthouse, adding she was looking forward to going to trial. "I think that's where you get the truth."
Shoffner was indicted June 5 on 14 federal counts of extortion and bribery charges. She was arrested at her Newport home last month after the FBI said it caught her on tape accepting a $6,000 payment from the broker, who hasn't been identified.
Shoffner, who has said she accepted the cash but did not intentionally steer investments to the broker, resigned days after the arrest.
Martha Shoffner
Arkansas Treasurer Martha Shoffner resigned May 21, 2013, after her arrest three days before on accusations she accepted cash payments from a bond broker in exchange for transferring a large portion of the state’s investment activity to the Russellville-based broker, St. Bernard Financial Services Inc. She was indicted June 5, 2013, on 14 counts, including extortion and bribery charges.
