FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — A former Arkansas state senator convicted in 2018 of corruption-related charges is pushing forward with a request for a new trial.
Attorney Lee D. Short of North Little Rock filed notice Wednesday that his client, former Sen. Jon Woods, will take his request for a new trial to the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported.
Woods was sentenced to more than 18 years in prison on 15 counts of conspiracy, fraud and money laundering for a bribery scheme in which prosecutors said he and another state legislator were taking kickbacks from state grants meant to be directed to nonprofit groups.
The scheme involved at least $20 million taken from taxpayers or the nonprofit.
The request for a retrial comes after claims that the FBI coerced former state Sen. Jeremy Hutchinson into giving incriminating information about Woods that lead to his investigation and subsequent conviction.
According to the Democrat-Gazette, the information Hutchinson gave the FBI should have been protected by attorney-client privilege.
Four additional state legislators pleaded guilty or were convicted on corruption-related charges in the investigation.
