A former Monroe County, Arkansas, judge was charged Thursday with soliciting sex from a defendant's girlfriend in order to make the charges against her boyfriend move quicker through the judicial system, according to the Department of Justice.
In April 2022, Thomas Carruth "allegedly solicited sex from the girlfriend of a defendant in exchange for expediting that defendant's trial date," a press release from the Justice Department read. The 63-year-old elected county judge allegedly then lied to the FBI when questioned about it.
Carruth is 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 could face up to 20 years in prison on the top counts.
In a June 2022 interview with TV station KARK at the time of an FBI raid on his home being reported, Carruth denied any wrongdoing.
He said he is being blackmailed and immediately called the state police and FBI after the woman offered to "do anything" to expedite the process involving her boyfriend.
"A female has made a false accusation against me," Carruth said at the time.
