Amended indictment adds charges against Woods, alleged co-conspirators

FAYETTEVILLE — An amended indictment adds four charges and removes one against former Sen. Jon Woods, R-Springdale, and his alleged co-conspirators in a bribery scheme, but the charges add detail to allegations already made, court documents show.

Woods, Oren Paris III of Springdale and Randell G. Shelton Jr. of Alma pleaded innocent in federal court on March 28. Woods is accused of taking bribes from Paris, president of Ecclesia College in Springdale, in return for state grants to Paris' college. Shelton is accused of allowing the money to Woods from the college to be passed though his consulting firm. Woods now faces 15 counts of wire fraud instead of the 12 counts in the original indictment. Paris and Shelton are now named in 13 of those counts instead of 10. Another count of mail fraud also names all three men. In addition, a count of money laundering against Woods remains in the amended indictment, records show.

The amended indictment gives more detail about the financial transactions involved. Woods and former Rep. Micah Neal, R-Springdale, directed state General Improvement Fund grants to the college in 2013 and 2014 in return for kickbacks. Neal pleaded guilty to fraud charges in January for his part. Ecclesia College is not named in any of the court documents, but Paris is identified as the president of the college involved.

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