March sentencing set for former state Sen. Paul Bookout

Former state Sen. Paul Bookout is shown in this file photo.
Former state Sen. Paul Bookout is shown in this file photo.

LITTLE ROCK — A federal judge has scheduled a new sentencing date for a former Arkansas Senate president who pleaded guilty to spending more than $150,000 in campaign funds on personal items.

U.S. District Judge Brian Miller said Tuesday that the sentencing for Paul Bookout will now be March 2 in federal court in Little Rock. Bookout had been set for sentencing last month but Miller delayed the proceedings at the request of Bookout's attorneys.

Bookout is a Democrat from Jonesboro who was elected to the Senate in 2006 to replace his late father, Jerry Bookout. He was re-elected two more times before his resignation in 2013.

Bookout pleaded guilty in March to a federal wire fraud charge for spending the campaign funds on clothing, liquor, a sound system and other personal items.

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