FBI had probed convicted ex
Joseph Boeckmann
Joseph Boeckmann  later became a district judge at Wynne in eastern Arkansas  then for years preyed on men misfortunate enough to land in  his  courtroom. The federal government says  he  deserves a 37-month prison term for a pattern of misconduct that involved  him  demanding overtly sexual acts â at the prosecutor's office until  he  was run off and later from the bench  even though  his  criminal charges involve only  his  behavior as a judge.
"It can be fairly inferred that the defendant's goal in running for his judicial position was to once again have access to young men in vulnerable positions " government lawyers wrote before Wednesday's sentencing hearing. An FBI agent is prepared to detail two investigations into  Boeckmann 's having at least seven young men pose for him â some nude â in return for a reduced bond or the outright dropping of criminal charges.
"The similarity between the accounts given by the young men who the FBI interviewed in the previous case and the young men interviewed as part of the (current) case are striking and demonstrate the defendant's clear and continuous pattern of abuse dating back at least 20 years " the government lawyers wrote in asking U.S. District Judge Kristine Baker to also consider  Boeckmann 's misbehavior as a deputy prosecutor in the 1990s.
But the ex-judge's lawyer  Jeff Rosenzweig  said it would be unfair to cite the older claims because  Boeckmann 's failing health and memory would make it impossible to refute them. He said home detention would be appropriate for "an elderly  broken  ailing man."
In 2016  as it investigated  Boeckmann 's behavior as a judge  The Associated Press filed a Freedom of Information Act request seeking documents related to the previous investigations. The FBI denied the AP's request  citing a right to privacy. The AP was denied again on appeal.
Prosecuting Attorney Fletcher Long told an AP reporter in 2016 that his office did not have a copy of  Boeckmann 's letter of resignation. When asked about the previous investigation  he said he did not recall allegations involving  Boeckmann . Long was traveling Tuesday and did not return a call to his office seeking comment.
The government's filing said the U.S. Attorney's Office declined to prosecute  Boeckmann  in the 1990s because  he  had agreed to resign as deputy prosecutor.
The U.S. Attorney at Little Rock then was Paula Casey  who recently retired as dean of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock law school. She said Tuesday she didn't recall the previous  Boeckmann  investigations but that any decision in her office to bring a civil rights or public integrity case â or to decline one â would have also gone through the U.S. Justice Department. A message left with the current U.S. attorney's office was not returned.
[TGT] later became a district judge at Wynne in eastern Arkansas  then for years preyed on men misfortunate enough to land in   [TGT]   courtroom. The federal government says   [TGT]   deserves a 37-month prison term for a pattern of misconduct that involved   [TGT]   demanding overtly sexual acts â at the prosecutor's office until   [TGT]   was run off and later from the bench  even though   [TGT]   criminal charges involve only   [TGT]   behavior as a judge.
"It can be fairly inferred that the defendant's goal in running for his judicial position was to once again have access to young men in vulnerable positions " government lawyers wrote before Wednesday's sentencing hearing. An FBI agent is prepared to detail two investigations into   [TGT]  's having at least seven young men pose for  [TGT]  â some nude â in return for a reduced bond or the outright dropping of criminal charges.
"The similarity between the accounts given by the young men who the FBI interviewed in the previous case and the young men interviewed as part of the (current) case are striking and demonstrate the defendant's clear and continuous pattern of abuse dating back at least 20 years " the government lawyers wrote in asking U.S. District Judge Kristine Baker to also consider   [TGT]  's misbehavior as a deputy prosecutor in the 1990s.
But the ex-judge's lawyer  Jeff Rosenzweig  said it would be unfair to cite the older claims because  Boeckmann 's failing health and memory would make it impossible to refute them. He said home detention would be appropriate for "an elderly  broken  ailing man."
In 2016  as it investigated  Boeckmann 's behavior as a judge  The Associated Press filed a Freedom of Information Act request seeking documents related to the previous investigations. The FBI denied the AP's request  citing a right to privacy. The AP was denied again on appeal.
Prosecuting Attorney Fletcher Long told an AP reporter in 2016 that his office did not have a copy of  Boeckmann 's letter of resignation. When asked about the previous investigation  he said he did not recall allegations involving  Boeckmann . Long was traveling Tuesday and did not return a call to his office seeking comment.
The government's filing said the U.S. Attorney's Office declined to prosecute  Boeckmann  in the 1990s because  he  had agreed to resign as deputy prosecutor.
The U.S. Attorney at Little Rock then was Paula Casey  who recently retired as dean of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock law school. She said Tuesday she didn't recall the previous  Boeckmann  investigations but that any decision in her office to bring a civil rights or public integrity case â or to decline one â would have also gone through the U.S. Justice Department. A message left with the current U.S. attorney's office was not returned.