Judge charged in federal bribery case is accused of paying FBI agent $100 for copies of texts
A North Carolina superior court judge who chairs the state’s Innocence Inquiry Commission was arrested Wednesday after allegedly paying a FBI agent $100 on Tuesday for a disk purportedly containing copies of text messages between two phone numbers.
Judge Arnold Ogden Jones II was federally indicted (PDF) by a grand jury within hours of the claimed bribe, the News & Observer reports. He is charged with promising and paying a bribe to a public official, promising and paying a gratuity to a public official and corruptly attempting to influence an official proceeding.
To legally obtain texts, a warrant generally is required, the newspaper notes.
It isn’t clear from news coverage or the indictment exactly why Jones allegedly wanted the texts. He initially offered to give the unidentified FBI agent a couple of cases of beer, but was persuaded to pay him $100 instead, the indictment says.
It says Jones sent a text to the FBI agent Oct. 10, seeking the agent’s help in obtaining the texts the judge wanted. A further conversation allegedly occurred Oct. 19, followed by a meeting in a car, where they discussed payment, and the Tuesday meeting at which Jones is alleged to have handed over $100 in cash.
The indictment says the FBI agent told the judge Oct. 19 he didn’t have sufficient cause to get a warrant but nonetheless, at the judge’s behest, went ahead and claimed to have obtained one from a federal magistrate.
“I want down low—see what you can do without drawing attention,” Jones allegedly told the agent at that time, adding: “This involves family so I don’t want anybody to know.”
A news release (PDF) from U.S. Attorney Thomas G. Walker says Jones was arrested Wednesday.
The judge had a court hearing later in the day and appears from news coverage to have been released without bond, based on his promise to appear at future court hearings.
Jones is the senior resident judge in District 8-B, WTVD reports. It includes Wayne, Lenoir and Greene counties.
