Judge Rejects Shoffner Guilty Plea

From Rob Moritz with our content partner, the Arkansas News Bureau:

Former state Treasurer Martha Shoffner went to federal court to plead guilty to a federal public corruption charge Friday, but the judge rejected the plea when Shoffner refused to say she took cash payments from a broker in exchange for shifting state bond business to him.

Shoffner, 68,was accused of taking at least $36,000 in kickbacks. FBI agents arrested Shoffner on May 18 at her Newport home after an informant delivered $6,000 in cash to her in a pie box. She resigned in a letter to Beebe three days later, a day after federal extortion allegations were revealed at a court hearing.

In court Friday, Shoffner admitted receiving cash from the broker. But when U.S. District Judge Leon Holmes asked Shoffner if she received money in exchange for directing bond business in her office, she answered, “Not intentionally.”

“For rent. I spent it on rent,” Shoffner said.

After conferring with lawyers in the case, Holmes declared that he could not accept Shoffner’s plea, apparently because her admission lacked a connection between her official acts and the payments she received.

“I don’t think we have one of the elements. Before I can accept a guilty plea, we have to have all the elements,” Holmes said.

U.S. Attorney Chris Thyer said after the hearing that federal prosecutors will move forward with a public corruption indictment against Shoffner that possibly could involve additional charges.

You can read the full story at this link.