A former Faulkner County Circuit Court judge and candidate for the state Court of Appeals has pleaded guilty to bribery.
The U.S. Attorney's Office in Little Rock says former Judge Michael Maggio pleaded guilty Friday and admitted accepting a campaign donation in exchange for reducing a jury verdict against a Conway company.
Maggio's attorney did not return a phone call for comment.
Prosecutors say Maggio accepted a $50,000 donation from the unnamed business that included $24,000 from the business owner, then two days later reduced a jury's negligence verdict of $5.2 million against the company to $1 million.
Maggio dropped out of the appeals court race and was later removed from the bench for disclosing confidential details in an adoption involving actress Charlize Theron and making off-color remarks in an online forum.
