A former Arkansas circuit judge has asked to delay reporting to federal prison while he appeals a bribery charge in which he admitted lowering a jury award in a civil lawsuit in exchange for campaign donations.
U.S. District Judge Brian Miller denied former Faulkner County Circuit Judge Michael Maggio's request to withdraw his guilty plea to the bribery charge and sentenced him to the maximum 10-year sentence in March. Maggio requested Tuesday that Miller allow him to delay reporting to prison on May 23 while he appeals the judge's decision not to allow him to withdraw his guilty plea.
Maggio was accused of accepting campaign donations from the owner of a nursing home company and reducing a jury award against that company by millions of dollars.