A federal judge agreed Friday to postpone sentencing for Henry "Hank" Wilkins IV, a former Pine Bluff legislator and county judge, from next Wednesday until Dec. 7.
Wilkins, 64, pleaded guilty April 30 to federal bribery and conspiracy charges, admitting that he had filed and voted for legislation in exchange for cash for years.
Defense attorneys Bill Stanley of Jonesboro and Ron Davis of Little Rock filed a joint motion Monday with Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie Mazzanti asking Chief U.S. District Judge Brian Miller to delay the sentencing hearing because Wilkins needs surgery in early September for long-standing back and neck conditions.
They noted that Wilkins has been talking with his doctor, T. Glenn Pate, for some time about possibly receiving therapeutic treatment to avoid surgery, which his doctor said was risky at his age. But Wilkins' pain and other symptoms have now "reached a point where surgery is his only option," the motion said.
The first available date for Wilkins to undergo cervical surgery is Sept. 4, the attorneys said.
On Friday, Miller set the new sentencing for 11 a.m. Dec. 7 in his Little Rock courtroom.
Wilkins admitted to accepting more than $80,000 in cash and donations to himself and his church, St. James United Methodist Church in Pine Bluff, where he was the minister, between 2010 and 2014.
Like federal charges filed in early 2017 against two former legislators in Northwest Arkansas, Wilkins' plea agreement details complex bribery and kickback schemes that identify many people and companies by numbers or letters.
Wilkins' bribery and misuse of funds came to light in March in a federal courtroom in Missouri where lobbyist Milton"Rusty" Cranford was arraigned on bribery charges. Cranford pleaded guilty June 7 in the Western District of Missouri to bribery involving Arkansas lawmakers between 2010 and 2017.
Former state Sen. Jon Woods of Springdale was convicted May 3 of 15 counts of public corruption. Former state Rep. Micah Neal, also of Springdale, pleaded guilty in January 2017 for his role in the same scheme, and testified against Woods. They are among five former Arkansas lawmakers to be convicted so far in a federal probe.
Wilkins announced in February that he wouldn't run for a second term as county judge in Jefferson County. He'd had the position since January 2017.
Metro on 08/25/2018