Micah Neal, Conspiracy to Commit Honest Services Fraud, Arkansas 2013 · Illinois
Jeremy Hutchinson, Federal Program Bribery, Arkansas 2023 · Arkansas
Thomas David Carruth, Bribery, Obstruction of Justice, Honest Services Wire Fraud, Arkansas 2023 · Arkansas
Nathan Koen, Bribery of a Public Official, Arkansas 2018 · Washington
Stewart Olani Stant, Conspiracy to Commit Honest Services Wire Fraud, Hawaii 2024 · Arkansas

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Arkansas State Representative Pleads Guilty to Bribe Conspiracy
- Key Facts

Arkansas State Representative Pleads Guilty to Bribe Conspiracy

WASHINGTON – In a shocking turn of events, Arkansas state representative Micah Neal, 42, of Springdale, Arkansas, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to authorize and direct a total of $600,000 in state government funds to two non-profit entities in exchange for tens of thousands of dollars in kickback payments.

According to authorities, Neal admitted that, between January 2013 and January 2015, while serving in the Arkansas House of Representatives, he conspired with an Arkansas state senator to use their official positions to appropriate government money known as General Improvement Funds (GIF) to a pair of non-profit entities in exchange for bribes.

Specifically, Neal and the senator authorized and directed the Northwest Arkansas Economic Development District, which was responsible for disbursing the GIF, to award a total of $600,000 in GIF money to the two non-profit entities. Of the $600,000, Neal personally authorized and directed a total of $175,000 to the entities.

In return for his official actions, Neal received approximately $38,000 in bribes from officials at those non-profit entities.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service investigated the case. Trial Attorney Sean Mulryne of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section, U.S. Attorney Kenneth Elser, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyra Jenner of the Western District of Arkansas are prosecuting the case.

Sentencing will be scheduled at a later date.

Mandatory Facts:

Defendant/Respondent: Micah Neal
Criminal Charges: Conspiracy to commit honest services fraud
City and State: Springdale, Arkansas
Exact Date: Between January 2013 and January 2015
Sentence or Outcome: Guilty plea, sentencing scheduled at a later date
Dollar Amounts: $600,000 in state government funds, $175,000 in GIF money, $38,000 in bribes