Former Cross County District Court Judge Joseph Boeckmann has been indicted for mail fraud, bribery and witness tampering in a case where he traded light sentences for nude photos and sex acts.  The indictment includes a total of 21 counts.

The indictment is based on Grand Jury testimony from nine unnamed people who’d appeared in Boeckmann’s Cross County court on minor charges.

The eight wire fraud counts say taxpayers were deprived of fines and fees that otherwise might have been assessed in Boeckmann’s court on on account of his scheme to use his position to obtain “personal services, sexual contact and the opportunity to view and to photographi in compromising positions persons who appeared before him traffic and misdemeanor criminal cases in exchange for dismissing the cases.” Typically, the indictment said, he’d wait until court had concluded and asked to meet with defendants alone. Then he’d provide his personal telephone number to work out terms of “community service.” He’d have them pick up litter and photograph them bending over to pick up cans. He also variously offered consideration to people for being photographed naked, masturbating or after paddling. The judge altered dockets to show erroneously that sentences were discharged for community service. Boeckmann used the telephone or text messages to carry out the scheme.

Federal program bribery was charged because the state of Arkansas received federal assistance for operation of the justice system.

Ten charges of violation of the federal travel act pertain to telephone calls made or, in two cases, actions Boeckmann took to entice someone to travel from Tennessee to Arkansas.

The two witness tampering charges alleges that, between October and November of last year, Boeckmann attempted or used another person to attempt to intimidate, threaten or otherwise corruptly persuade a witness not to testify before the Grand Jury.