Brandon Barber Pleads Guilty to Three Counts
by July 31, 2013 3:01 pm 141 views
Former Northwest Arkansas developer Brandon Barber pleaded guilty Wednesday in Fort Smith to three counts of fraud and money laundering, according to a report from CBS affiliate KFSM-TV, Channel 5.
U.S. Attorney Conner Eldridge said the maximum prison time for Barber’s charges is 45 years behind bars, to be determined at a separate sentencing hearing.
Barber, 37, faced 27 counts of various federal charges, including fraud and money laundering.
He has been behind bars at the Washington County Detention Center since June, after U.S. Magistrate Judge Erin L. Setser found Barber had repeatedly violated terms of his home detention, which he had been under since his initial arrest in March.
Barber had been set to stand trial in the U.S. District Court of Western Arkansas in two separate cases concerning his alleged $200 million fraud scheme. One was set for Sept. 16, with the other scheduled for Oct. 21.
Barber entered a plea of not guilty April 15. The hearing also included not guilty pleas entered by Barber’s co-defendants: K. Vaughn Knight, 46; James Van Doren, 37; Jeff Whorton, 45; and Brandon Rains, 32.
Bentonville attorney David Fisher, 38, was added to the indictment in June.