Northeast Arkansas businessman Ted Suhl has been sentenced to seven years in prison for his involvement in a bribery scheme that benefited his two mental-health service providers.
Suhl, 51, of Warm Springs, was convicted earlier this year of two counts of honest services fraud, one count of federal funds bribery and one count of interstate travel in aid of bribery, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a news release.
In U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas in Little Rock on Thursday, Suhl was also ordered to pay a $200,000 fine.
The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported that jurors spent about five hours July 20 deliberating the case in federal court.
Suhl bribed Steven B. Jones, a former deputy director of the Arkansas Department of Human Services, and used intermediaries Phillip W. Carter and a local pastor beginning in April 2007, according to the Justice Department.
During periodic meetings at restaurants in Memphis and rural Arkansas, Suhl, Jones and Carter would discuss Suhl's request for assistance, with Jones agreeing to perform official acts that benefited him and his businesses, the release states.
In exchange, Jones received cash payments through a pastor's church.
Attorney Chris Givens, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office for the Eastern District of Arkansas, said Suhl is expected to self-report to prison Jan. 3 to begin his sentence.
Jones, who pleaded guilty to federal funds bribery and conspiracy, was sentenced to 30 months in prison. Carter was sentenced to 24 months after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit federal funds bribery and honest services wire fraud.
Read Friday’s Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.
