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Former county judge pleads guilty to accepting $80K bribe, sentencing set for late August

Wilkins in April admitted that while a state lawmaker from 2010 to 2014 he accepted a series of bribes from lobbyists and nonprofit organizations.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - A sentencing hearing is scheduled for later this month in the case of a former Arkansas lawmaker and county judge who pleaded guilty to accepting more than $80,000 in a corruption probe that has ensnared several former legislators and others.

A notice filed last week says Henry "Hank" Wilkins IV is set to be sentenced in federal court on Aug. 29 in Little Rock. Wilkins in April admitted that while a state lawmaker from 2010 to 2014 he accepted a series of bribes from lobbyists and nonprofit organizations. Prosecutors say that in exchange, Wilkins voted in favor of specific legislation and steered about $245,000 to entities that funneled bribes to Wilkins through his church.

Wilkins, a former state representative and senator, stepped down as Jefferson County judge earlier this year.

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