In a sentencing hearing today in Little Rock, A former state legislator and county judge who pleaded guilty to bribery in federal court nearly five years ago has been sentenced to a year, and a day in prison and ordered to pay $123,000 in restitution, and three years of supervised release.
Henry “Hank” Wilkins IV, 68, of Pine Bluff, pleaded guilty to having involvement in a bribery scheme that brought down a number of state legislators in 2018. Wilkins pleaded guilty to conspiring to accept over $80,000 in bribes in exchange for influencing Arkansas state legislation and transactions, including steering approximately $245,000 in Arkansas general improvement funds to his co-conspirators and devising a scheme to conceal the bribe payments as donations to the St. James United Methodist Church in Pine Bluff, where Wilkins also served as a pastor.
Deltaplex Radio was present at the sentencing where there were several elected officials from Jefferson County present, including County Judge Gerald Robinson who gave his remarks on the sentence given.
There were also two vanloads of supporting clergy from Pine Bluff present including Reverend Charles Boyd from First Missionary Baptist.
Wilkins represented Arkansas’ House District 17 from 1999 to 2001 and again from 2011 to 2015, and District 5 in the Arkansas Senate from 2001-2011. He served as Jefferson County judge from Jan. 5, 2017, until he resigned from the office a little over 14 months into his term.
He was ordered to turn himself in on Tuesday, March 7th.
