Hold My Beer and Watch This
Raleigh (N.C.) Superior Court Judge Arnold Jones II allegedly attempted to bribe an FBI agent. The federal grand jury indictment alleges that Jones texted an agent attempting to get copies of text messages between two members of his own family. Jones and the agent then met, and Jones allegedly offered the agent “a couple cases of beer” in exchange for the information. Between the initial meeting and the delivery of a disk with the messages, the indictment says Jones increased the offer to $100 in cash. He’s charged with promising and paying a bribe to a public official, promising and paying a gratuity to a public official, and corruptly attempting to influence an official proceeding. The case will be heard by the state’s 13-member Judicial Standards Commission. (MS/Raleigh News-Observer) ...Better buy a lot more beer.Story Update: A lot more than the state’s Judicial Standards Commission was involved. In March 2017, Jones pleaded guilty in federal court to one felony count of promising and paying gratuities to a public official in exchange for the other counts being dismissed. In May 2017, he was sentenced to 2 years of probation, a $5,000 fine, and ordered to perform 100 hours of community service. Not surprisingly, the Department of Justice press release announcing the resolution of the case described Jones as a ”former North Carolina Superior Court Judge”. Evidence included video of Jones paying the FBI agent for a disk containing the messages — on the courthouse steps, while he was wearing his judicial robe. And who were the text messages from? His wife. It was not disclosed who the recipient was.
Original Publication Date: 22 November 2015
This story is in True’s book collections, in Volume 22.
This story is in True’s book collections, in Volume 22.
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