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 in the Eastern District of Arkansas. The sentence stems from a sprawling investigation that exposed a pattern of bribery and tax fraud stretching across Arkansas and Missouri. Hutchinson admitted to pilfering campaign funds and concealing income, all while leveraging his position for personal gain.

Hutchinson pleaded guilty on June 25, 2019, to filing a false tax return in Arkansas. He also entered guilty pleas in both the Western District of Arkansas and the Western District of Missouri to conspiracy to commit federal program bribery. Court documents detail how, from 2010 to 2017, Hutchinson systematically stole thousands of dollars in state campaign contributions, funneling the money into his own pockets. He then compounded the crime by filing false federal income tax returns from 2011 to 2014, deliberately concealing his ill-gotten gains.

The scheme didn’t stop at campaign funds. Hutchinson moonlighted as outside counsel for Dr. Benjamin Burris, an orthodontist with clinics throughout Arkansas. In exchange for payments and legal services, Hutchinson pushed legislation that directly benefited Burris’s business interests. This arrangement was deliberately structured to mask the corrupt quid pro quo. Investigators uncovered that Hutchinson siphoned off over $10,000 in campaign funds and failed to report $20,000-per-month payments, alongside other concealed income, on his 2011 tax returns.

But the Arkansas case is only part of the story. Hutchinson is still awaiting sentencing in Missouri for his involvement in a separate, multi-million dollar public corruption scheme. This scheme revolved around Preferred Family Healthcare Inc. (formerly known as Alternative Opportunities Inc.), a Springfield, Missouri-based healthcare charity. Hutchinson allegedly accepted bribes – in the form of monthly legal retainers and other valuable considerations – from PFH employees and executives. In return, he used his influence to secure favorable legislative action and official favors for the charity.

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 leadership. Several key figures have already pleaded guilty, including Former Chief Operating Officer Bontiea Bernedette Goss (pleaded guilty September 2022), Former Chief Financial Officer Tommy “Tom” Ray Goss (pleaded guilty September 2022, also to filing a false tax return), Former Chief Executive Officer Marilyn Luann Nolan (pleaded guilty November 2018), Former Director of Operations Robin Raveendran (pleaded guilty June 2019), and Former executive Keith Frase.

Hutchinson’s sentencing marks a significant development in a long-running investigation that has exposed a network of corruption within Arkansas politics and the healthcare industry. While the 46-month sentence provides a measure of accountability, the full extent of the damage caused by Hutchinson and his co-conspirators remains to be seen. The Grimy Times will continue to follow this case and report on any further developments.

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