A federal judge in Little Rock has rejected former state Treasurer Martha Shoffner's guilty plea Friday afternoon.
Both Shoffner's defense team and the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Arkansas had previously agreed to the terms of waiving an indictment in exchange for Shoffner entering a guilty plea.
During the hearing, however, Shoffner told Judge Leon Holmes that she accepted $36,000 in cash payments from a Russellville bond broker, but claimed she didn't intentionally direct a substantial amount of the state's bond business to the firm because of it.
Holmes did not accept Shoffner's plea, stating that she did not agree to all the elements of the charge as required by law.
After the hearing, Shoffner was asked by reporters why the plea was not agreed upon.
"There were just some questions asked I wasn't comfortable with," she said.
United States Attorney Chris Thyer said his office would now proceed to present the case to a grand jury and indict Shoffner. The case will go to trial on an undetermined date.
"I just want to tell the people of Arkansas that I apologize," Shoffner added.
Charles A. Banks, Shoffner's attorney, said Shoffner was embarrassed by the days proceedings, but they're glad to be going to trial.
Shoffner is accused of accepting cash payments in exchange for steering state money to a single bond broker in Russellville.
The FBI arrested Shoffner at her Newport home May 18 after prosecutors said she was recorded accepting a $6,000 payment stashed in a pie box from the broker. Shoffner's attorney had initially said she planned to plead not guilty to the charges.
Shoffner, a Democrat who was re-elected in 2010, resigned last week. Gov. Mike Beebe has named a former legislative auditor Charles Robinson to fill the remainder of her term.
Read Saturday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.
