A look at some of the key people involved in former Judge Michael Maggio's final judicial campaign and subsequent prison sentence:
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MICHAEL MAGGIO Became a judge in the 20th Judicial Circuit, which includes Faulkner, Van Buren and Searcy counties, in January 2001 after former Gov. Mike Huckabee appointed him. In May 2013, Maggio presided over a negligence lawsuit against a Greenbrier nursing home, and in July 2013 he lowered the jury's verdict by $4.2 million. In June 2013, Maggio announced a bid for the Arkansas Court of Appeals. In March 2014, Maggio withdrew from the race. In September 2014, the Arkansas Supreme Court ordered Maggio removed from office, in part because of unrelated comments he made online. In January 2015, Maggio pleaded guilty to a federal bribery charge but later tried unsuccessfully to withdraw the plea. His 10-year prison sentence is on hold pending an appeal.
GILBERT BAKER A Republican lobbyist and former state senator from Conway who helped raise money for Maggio's appeals court campaign. On or before July 8, 2013, Baker sent a fax to nursing-home owner Michael Morton suggesting monetary sums that Morton should contribute to various political action committees and others. Baker was a top University of Central Arkansas administrator at the time he landed a $100,000 donation from Morton to the UCA Foundation. Baker resigned from the administrative job and took a lower-paying teaching position after UCA returned Morton's money.
MICHAEL MORTON The Fort Smith businessman owns numerous nursing homes and is a frequent campaign contributor. Among those nursing homes is the Greenbrier facility where patient Martha Bull, 76, of Perryville died in 2008. Two of her daughters later filed a negligence lawsuit. Morton said he no longer has the fax from Baker but said it included several PACs that, he said, he thought were intended to help the Maggio campaign. A second, pending lawsuit filed by the sisters accuses Morton and Baker of funneling money to Maggio's campaign in exchange for a reduced judgment in the negligence lawsuit.
ROSEY PERKINS, RHONDA COPPACK The daughters of Martha Bull who have sued over their mother's death and the reduced negligence-case judgment.
LINDA LEIGH FLANAGIN A lobbyist who has worked with Baker. Morton has said a woman who worked with Baker asked him to support Maggio's campaign. Baker later said the woman would have been Flanagin.
CHRIS STEWART A Little Rock lawyer who created several of the PACs at issue for Baker. A former legal counsel for the Arkansas Republican Party, Stewart, his wife and his law firm also contributed to Maggio's campaign.
A Section on 06/01/2016