Judge will allow tapes of former state senator Woods' talking about grant scheme

FAYETTEVILLE -- A judge ruled Friday federal prosecutors can use some 40 secretly recorded telephone calls in the case of a former state senator accused in a kickback scheme involving state grant money.

Jon Woods is accused in a federal indictment of taking kickbacks in return for directing state General Improvement Fund grants to certain recipients. Oren Paris III of Springdale, president of Ecclesia College, is accused of paying some of the kickbacks. The college passed its kickbacks through a consulting firm owned by Randell G. Shelton Jr. of Alma, the indictment says.

Part of those fees went to Woods and to then-state Rep. Micah Neal, according to the indictment. Both are Republicans who represented Springdale. Neal pleaded guilty to one count of public corruption Jan. 4.

Woods is charged with 14 counts of wire fraud, one count of mail fraud and one count of money laundering. Paris and Shelton are named in 13 of the wire fraud counts and a count of mail fraud. The trio are set for a two-week jury trial beginning Dec. 4.

Read more: http://www.nwaonline.com/news/2017/sep/09/judge-will-allow-tapes-of-woods-talking/
(Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)

I can't believe that a Republican would ever take a kickback, yet alone two Republicans.