Former Saline County Sheriff Bruce Pennington pleaded guilty Monday to one count of wire fraud related to his paying personal bills with campaign funds.
Pennington, 64, appeared in court before U.S. District Judge Kristine Baker.
Pennington used campaign contributions to pay for casino visits, groceries and to make mortgage and utility payments, Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Peters said.
“The last few years have been hard for me, and I have made mistakes that I deeply regret,” Pennington said in a statement issued by Attorney Bill James’ law firm. The statement also included an apology and a request for prayer.
Between June 1, 2011 and Sept. 9, 2013, Pennington withdrew approximately $20,969 in cash from his campaign account, and transferred $1,000 from his campaign account to his personal bank account to pay for personal expenses, Peters said.
Contributions to his campaign account totaled $36,661.80, she said.
“As many of you already know, I have had some problems with alcohol,” he said. “My attempt to continue to serve the people of Saline County as Sheriff, while dealing with these problems, caused a large amount of scrutiny to be placed upon myself and my office. This led to the discovery that I paid personal bills with campaign funds, which is a violation of federal law. I take full responsibility for what I have done.”
Pennington left office in 2013 after pleading guilty to alcohol-related charges after an arrest at a Benton restaurant. He filed to run for sheriff again but said he chose to withdraw before the primary in May 2014, though his name still appeared on the ballot. He finished in last place among seven candidates vying for the Republican nomination.
Read Tuesday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.