A Service of UA Little Rock
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Prosecutors: Ex-Arkansas Judge Is Trying To Delay Bribery Case

Former Circuit Court Judge Mike Maggio.

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reports that the U.S. attorney's office says Maggio has failed to establish a reason why his guilty plea should be withdrawn.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.

The Associated Press is one of the largest and most trusted sources of independent newsgathering, supplying a steady stream of news to its members, international subscribers and commercial customers. AP is neither privately owned nor government-funded; instead, it's a not-for-profit news cooperative owned by its American newspaper and broadcast members.