Ex-lawmaker pleads guilty to doling favors for bribes

A former state legislator and county judge for Jefferson County pleaded guilty to federal bribery and conspiracy charges Monday, admitting that he had filed and voted for legislation in exchange for cash for years.

Henry “Hank” Wilkins IV, 64, was charged with accepting more than $80,000 in bribes. He admitted in February to taking $100,000 in bribes.

Some of the bribes were in cash, while others were false donations to St. James United Methodist Church in Pine Bluff, where Wilkins was the minister, according to a U.S. Department of Justice news release.

He also “steered about $245,000 in Arkansas General Improvement Funds to his co-conspirators,” according to the news release.

General Improvement Fund grants were designed to be used for making communities better. Proposals for their use included fire department equipment, assistance to senior citizen centers and facility improvements to a Boys and Girls Club.

The bribery and misuse of funds came to light during the March arraignment in Missouri of Milton Russell “Rusty” Cranford, who is accused in a bribery case involving several legislators, including Wilkins, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette previously reported.

Other legislators mentioned in the trial include former state Sen. Jon Woods, of Springdale, and former state Rep. Micah Neal, also of Springdale. Woods is currently on trial in federal court in Fayetteville on charges connected to a kickback scheme involving General Improvement Fund grants. Neal pleaded guilty in January 2017 for his role in the same scheme and testified against Woods.

Wilkins served as a state representative for the 17th District from 1999 to 2001 and from 2011 to 2015. Wilkins was also a state senator for District 5 from 2011 to 2015. Wilkins said the bribery occurred from 2010 to 2014, according to the news release.

In exchange for money during that time, he offered to sponsor bills and vote for legislation, in addition to guiding general improvement money to certain people, the release said.

“Public corruption destroys the trust that is necessary for our republic,” said U.S. Attorney Cody Hiland for the Eastern District of Arkansas in the news release Monday. “In this case, the citizens of Arkansas were betrayed by Mr. Wilkins, and elected officials who abuse their position for personal gain must be held accountable for that violations of the public trust.”

The FBI along with the Eastern and Western districts of Arkansas, the Western District of Missouri and the Public Integrity Section of the Department of Justice investigated the case.

In February, Wilkins announced that he would not run for a second term as county judge in Jefferson County; he gained that position in January 2017. A few weeks after his February announcement, he resigned.

Members of the Jefferson County Quorum Court, who were tasked with selecting Wilkins’ replacement, said they learned about Wilkins’ involvement because of news coverage of the investigation and trials.

At the March 19 Quorum Court meeting, one member read Wilkins’ resignation letter out loud to a room packed with Jefferson County residents. In the letter, Wilkins said he was “profoundly sorry that my own actions make this resignation necessary.”

Information for this article was contributed by Lisa Hammersly and Doug Thompson of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette .