Ex-Senator Hutchinson Gets 46 Months for Bribery & Tax Fraud

LITTLE ROCK, AR – Former Arkansas State Senator Jeremy Hutchinson, 48, of Little Rock, is headed to federal prison after receiving a 46-month sentence for a sprawling bribery and tax fraud scheme. The sentencing, handed down in the Eastern District of Arkansas, concludes one chapter in a multi-district investigation that snaked through Arkansas and Missouri, exposing a network of corruption reaching into the highest levels of state government.

Hutchinson pleaded guilty on June 25, 2019, to filing a false tax return in Arkansas. He also admitted to conspiracy to commit federal program bribery in both the Western District of Arkansas and the Western District of Missouri on June 25, 2019 and July 8, 2019, respectively. Court documents reveal a systematic pattern of abuse of power, with Hutchinson leveraging his position for personal gain. From 2010 through 2017, he pilfered state campaign contributions – at least $10,000 – and funneled the money into his own pockets. He then compounded the crime by filing false income tax returns from 2011 to 2014, meticulously concealing his illicit activities.

The scheme extended beyond simple theft. Hutchinson was retained as outside counsel by Dr. Benjamin Burris, an orthodontist with clinics across Arkansas. The arrangement was a thinly veiled quid pro quo: Hutchinson used his legislative influence to push legislation favorable to Burris, receiving payments and legal work in return. The legal work served as a smokescreen, obscuring the corrupt nature of the deal. Hutchinson also failed to report $20,000-per-month payments from a law firm and other concealed income on his 2011 tax returns.

This sentencing is just one piece of a larger, more disturbing puzzle. Hutchinson is still awaiting sentencing in Missouri for his role in a separate, multi-million dollar public corruption scheme involving embezzlement, bribes, and illegal campaign contributions. The investigation centered around Preferred Family Healthcare Inc. (formerly known as Alternative Opportunities Inc.), a Springfield, Missouri-based health care charity. Hutchinson allegedly accepted monthly legal retainers and other benefits from PFH employees and executives in exchange for favorable legislative action.

The rot at Preferred Family Healthcare ran deep. In 2022, the charity agreed to pay over $8 million in forfeiture and restitution as part of a non-prosecution agreement, admitting the criminal conduct of its former officers and employees. Several individuals have already pleaded guilty. Bontiea Bernedette Goss, former Chief Operating Officer of Springfield, Missouri, pleaded guilty in September 2022 to conspiracy to commit bribery. Her husband, Tommy “Tom” Ray Goss, former Chief Financial Officer, also of Springfield, Missouri, admitted to embezzlement and bribery, plus filing a false tax return. Former CEO Marilyn Luann Nolan, of Springfield, Missouri, pleaded guilty in November 2018 to embezzling charitable funds. Robin Raveendran, of Little Rock, Arkansas, former Director of Operations and Executive Vice President, pleaded guilty in June 2019 to bribery conspiracy. Executive Keith Frase is also implicated.

The Hutchinson case, and the broader Preferred Family Healthcare scandal, serves as a stark reminder that corruption can fester in the shadows of even seemingly legitimate organizations. The Grimy Times will continue to follow this developing story and expose the individuals who exploit public trust for personal enrichment. This sentencing is a small victory, but the fight against public corruption is far from over.”