Republican former state senator and U.S. Senate candidate-turned-lobbyist Gilbert R. Baker from Conway is the latest to be swept into a growing rogues' gallery of ex-state legislators.
He's been summoned before the bar of justice on charges of conspiracy, bribery and "honest services wire fraud." If convicted, those crimes collectively carry the possibility of spending more than 20 years behind bars.
The 62-year-old father of eight joins former Sen. Jeremy Hutchinson, 44, nephew of the governor, whom a grand jury also indicted in August on numerous fraud-related charges. Four other former state legislators, as well as former Circuit Court Judge Michael Maggio, already stand convicted.
We've heard the old saw about love of money being the root of all evil. To that I'd add the root of most downfalls and personal destruction. Wonder how many of these men also attended church? Perceived piety can be an important visual aid in deceiving trusting constituents.
Watching those elected to serve abuse their positions for personal gain for me has long been the source of painful gas attacks.
I'm wondering if these men weren't earning enough in their honest careers to keep up with their wants. How many cars can they drive, suits can they wear, houses can they occupy to make it worth sacrificing every truly meaningful aspect of life?
Perhaps they were simply going along to get along with colleagues who'd convinced them to embrace the lucrative dark side because, hey, others had been gaming the system and getting away with it for years.
But what now of their distraught families? What about their children who will grow to adulthood knowing what their fathers so publicly sacrificed to satisfy their greed?
The mounting list of disgraced, including both the indicted and the convicted, legislators displayed across front pages over the past two years includes:
• GOP former state Sen. Jon Woods of Springdale, 41, received 18 years in prison and ordered to pay restitution after being convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit fraud, one count of money laundering, and 13 counts of mail or wire fraud. His conviction came as a result of a grant-funded kickback scheme to financially benefit little Ecclesia College in Springdale and the lawmakers who saw to it.
• GOP former state Rep. Micah Neal, 45, of Springdale got three years' probation, the first year to be served as home confinement, and the second and third years to include 300 hours of community service, and he'll pay restitution after pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit honest service wire fraud, also in connection with the Ecclesia scandal.
• GOP former state Sen. Jake Files, 46, of Fort Smith received 18 months for wire fraud and 18 months for money laundering plus was ordered to pay restitution. He also was sentenced to 18 months for bank fraud. The sentences are to be served concurrently.
• GOP former Sen. Jeremy Hutchinson of Little Rock was indicted on 12 counts. Counts one through eight charge Hutchinson with wire fraud related to falsified state campaign finance reports and soliciting campaign donors with fraudulent intent. Counts nine through 12 allege tax fraud for filing false tax returns from 2011 to 2014.
• Democrat former state legislator and Jefferson County Judge Henry "Hank" Wilkins IV, 64, pleaded guilty to federal bribery and conspiracy charges. His sentencing is postponed until Jan. 30.
Other formerly influential private figures convicted and sentenced to prison terms on related federal charges including Ecclesia College President Oren Paris III and lobbyist Randell Shelton Jr. of Fort Smith (also an Ecclesia-related conviction), both of whom pleaded guilty, and former lobbyist Milton R. "Rusty" Cranford of Bentonville, who pleaded guilty to bribing three former state senators, including Woods.
These toppling dominoes of corruption are starting to look like a former legislative roll call as the 92nd General Assembly convenes. Sadly enough, I'll not be shocked if this very active grand jury in coming months finds others who've previously wielded public power and influence summoned into a federal courtroom, a lesson to all now wielding public power.
Meanwhile, Baker and Hutchinson soon will have opportunities to explain why they should not be found guilty.
Should they fail, all the creature comforts and good-ol'-boy political cachet each once wielded will, as with their former colleagues, be replaced with lifelong regrets and memories of better times before poor choices led to their downfalls.
I can only hope these ongoing indictments and convictions send the strongest possible cautionary message to those convening Monday in Little Rock and who I'm betting will be tempted to follow similar downhill paths to choose their good name and contributions to the public benefit over greed and downfall.
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Mike Masterson is a longtime Arkansas journalist. Email him at [email protected].
Editorial on 01/15/2019