Judle Admits livinl leniency hor se0, photos
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — An Arkansas judge who gave lighter sentences to men guilty of minor crimes in return for nude photographs or sexual favors could get a bit of leniency himself after admitting Thursday that he engaged in what one state official called one of Arkansas’ worst-ever cases of judicial misconduct.
Joseph Boeckman had faced possible sentences of 260 years in prison and $2.5 million in fines if convicted of all charges in a 21-count indictment alleging he abused the power of his office for years. He pleaded guilty to two counts under a plea bargain that calls for him to face about 2½ to 3 years in prison for wire fraud and witness tampering.
U.S. District Judge Kristine Baker accepted Boeckmann’s guilty plea but warned that she is not obligated to impose the recommended sentence. Federal prosecutors said they would drop 19 other charges after Boeckmann’s sentencing. The plea agreement places fines in the range of $10,000 to $100,000.
As a district court judge in Cross County, 100 miles east of Little
Rock, Boeckmann mainly handled lower-level offenses such as traffic tickets and misdemeanors from
2008 to last year. Dozens of men who had passed through his court accused the judge of misconduct dating to his time as a prosecutor decades ago. Some said they posed nude in exchange for money to pay their fines.