Barber’s Bail Revoked; Ordered to Jail
U.S. Magistrate Judge Erin L. Setser revoked the bond of Brandon Barber on Friday, and ordered the former Northwest Arkansas developer to jail to await trial on 27 federal charges of fraud and money laundering, according to a report from local CBS affiliate KFSM-TV, Channel 5.
Setser, according to the report, ruled that Barber violated terms of his house arrest. He was taken to the Washington County Detention Center.
Barber, named in two separate indictments in January, has trials scheduled in U.S. District Court in Fort Smith this fall.
Barber was arrested in New York on March 20, and arraigned April 15 in Fayetteville.
Barber and four other co-defendants — K. Vaughn Knight, 46; James Van Doren, 37; Jeff Whorton, 45; and Brandon Rains, 32 — all pleaded not guilty.
A sixth man, Bentonville attorney David Fisher, 38, was indicted June 6.
Prosecutors, the FBI and the IRS allege Barber declared bankruptcy in 2009 after racking up $200 million in loans, then hid assets from the courts and creditors during the bankruptcy process.
According to court documents, Fisher, Barber, Whorton and Rains have a trial set for Oct. 21 in federal court in Fort Smith, while Barber, Knight and Van Doren have a separate trial set for Sept. 16.