Photo courtesy of Rutherford County Sheriff Office
Robert Arnold, the former Rutherford County Sheriff, who was jailed due to corruption charges, pleaded guilty to three of the 14 charges in court Wednesday morning.
According to reports by the Daily News Journal, Arnold pleaded guilty to wire fraud, honest services fraud and extortion in Wednesday’s court session. All three corruption charges hold a $250,000 fine and up to 20 years in prison for the former sheriff.
Arnold was originally charged with illegally selling JailCigs to inmates at the Rutherford County Jail. Through the illegal selling of the JailCigs, Arnold and his wife collectively gained approximately $65,000 from December 2013 through April 2015, while his former assistant and co-defendant Joe Russell profited $57,000 in the same time frame, according to the Tennessee Comptroller Report.
Arnold’s sentencing date is currently set for May 8.
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