LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The United States Department of Justice announced on Thursday the arrest of a former Arkansas local district court judge.
63-year-old Thomas David Carruth, who was an elected judge of the Monroe County district court, was arrested in Little Rock on criminal charges related to his alleged solicitation of sex in exchange for agreeing to take action on a criminal case pending before his court.
According to court documents, Carruth allegedly solicited sex from the girlfriend of a defendant in exchange for expediting that defendant's trial date in April 2022.
A release published by the FBI said that Carruth allegedly lied to agents when questioned about the incident and is being charged by indictment with three counts of honest services wire fraud, three counts of using a facility in interstate commerce in furtherance of unlawful activity, one count of bribery, one count of making false statements, and one count of obstruction of justice.
If convicted, Carruth faces up to 20 years in prison.
The FBI Little Rock Field Office is investigating the case with the assistance of the Arkansas State Police.
This is an ongoing investigation, and we will update this article with additional information as it becomes available.