Former DHS deputy director pleads guilty to bribery charges

A former state representative and deputy director of the Arkansas Department of Human Services pleaded guilty to bribery charges Thursday, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas announced.

Steven B. Jones, 49, of Marion pleaded guilty to a two-count indictment which charges him with conspiracy and bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds.

He served as the deputy director of the department from April 2007 to July 2013.

Jones admitted that in return for cash payments and other valuable items, he provided official assistance and providing internal department information about an individual’s businesses, a U.S. Department of Justice news release states.

A sentencing hearing is scheduled for April 2 before U.S. District Judge Billy Roy Wilson.

Cherith Beck, public information officer for the Eastern District of Arkansas, said in an email that "the statutory sentence for conspiracy to commit bribery and honest services wire fraud is not more than five years in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine followed by not more than three years supervised release; and the statutory sentence for bribery in relation to federal program fraud is not more than 10 years in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine followed by not more than three years’ supervised release.”

The sentence will be determined by the court, Beck said.

Read Friday’s Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for more on this story.

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