Federal prosecutors say a former Arkansas circuit judge is switching legal arguments in an effort to withdraw his guilty plea and avoid sentencing in a federal bribery case.
Former Judge Michael Maggio admitted in January 2015 to allegations that he had accepted $50,000 in campaign donations from an unnamed nursing home owner and a lobbyist in exchange for reducing a $5.2 million jury award in a negligence case involving one of the nursing home owner's facilities.
The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports that the U.S. attorney's office says Maggio has failed to establish a reason why his guilty plea should be withdrawn.
The office says it's clear that Maggio's latest arguments are an attempt to delay his inevitable sentencing in the case.