Former judge gets probation for offering beer and $100 for his wife's texts to an FBI agent
A former judge in North Carolina has avoided prison time for offering cases of beer and $100 cash to obtain his wife’s text messages from an FBI task force officer.
Former Judge Arnold Ogden Jones II of Wayne County was sentenced to probation on Wednesday, report The Associated Press, the News & Observer and StarNews Online. He will also have to pay a $5,000 fine and perform 100 hours of community service.
Jones’ initial conviction by a federal jury was overturned in February, and he pleaded guilty in March to paying gratuities to a public official. Prosecutors said Jones wanted to obtain the texts because he was suspicious that his wife was having an affair.
Jones had chaired the state’s Innocence Inquiry Commission. His defense lawyers had claimed the agent led him along because of his role in helping free those who are wrongfully convicted.
