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This Bud’s For You

By Michael Frisch

A story from last week’s Charlotte News & Observer

A Superior Court judge was convicted Friday on charges that he tried to bribe a federal agent with two cases of Bud Light to get copies of text messages from the phones of the judge’s wife and another man.

A defense attorney announced immediate plans to appeal the verdict against Wayne County Judge Arnold O. Jones II. The verdict came after jurors deliberated for less than an hour.

Sentencing is set for Jan. 23. But before then, the defense team will get one more opportunity to argue to U.S. District Judge James C. Fox that the case should not have gone to the jury because prosecutors failed to bring enough evidence.

Jones – the senior resident Superior Court judge in Wayne County – is on administrative leave from his post but campaigning for re-election in November.

He was convicted of three felonies – paying a bribe to a public official, promising and paying a gratuity to a public official, and corruptly attempting to influence an official proceeding.

 The convictions are likely to bring an inquiry from the judicial standards commission and the N.C. State Bar, which could jeopardize Jones’ law license and his job. Judicial standards representatives were in the Wilmington courtroom during the trial.
Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/crime/article109661582.html#storylink=cpy

(Mike Frisch)

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/crime/article109661582.html#storylink=cpy

 

Posted in:
Judicial Ethics and the Courts