Department of Justice

Office of Public Affairs

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday, January 5, 2023

Former Judge Arrested for Bribery and Obstruction of Justice

A former local district court judge in Arkansas was arrested today in Little Rock on criminal charges related to his alleged solicitation of sex in exchange for agreeing to take action on a criminal case pending before his court.

According to court documents, Thomas David Carruth, 63, of Clarendon, was an elected judge of the Monroe County district court. In April 2022, Carruth allegedly solicited sex from the girlfriend of a defendant in exchange for expediting that defendant’s trial date. Carruth allegedly lied to FBI agents when questioned about the incident.   

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 faces up to 20 years in prison on the top counts.

Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Jonathan D. Ross for the Eastern District of Arkansas, Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division, and Special Agent in Charge James A. Dawson of the FBI Little Rock Field Office made the announcement.

The FBI Little Rock Field Office is investigating the case with the assistance of the Arkansas State Police.

Trial Attorney Lauren Britsch Slater of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney J. William Crow for the Eastern District of Arkansas are prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

U.S. Department of Justice Press Release