Griffin: ‘Public officials are obligated to act in the public’s interest’

LITTLE ROCK – Attorney General Tim Griffin today issued the following statement announcing the conviction of Josh Jackson, 41, a former Horseshoe Bend municipal employee, on three felony counts:

“I am grateful for the diligent work of Special Agent Steve Moore of my office’s Public Integrity Unit that led to an arrest and conviction in this case. I also thank 16th Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney Drew Smith for his office’s efforts.

“Public officials are obligated to act in the public’s interest. My office will continue to pursue investigations like these to maintain the trust of Arkansans in those who serve them.”

Following an investigation by the Public Integrity Unit, Jackson surrendered himself to the Izard County Jail on November 27, 2023, on charges stemming from his use of a Horseshoe Bend Municipal Recreation Improvement District credit card while he also served—in an unrelated capacity—on the city council.

On October 22, Jackson entered negotiated guilty pleas to Theft of Property greater than $25,000, a Class B Felony; Forgery, a Class C Felony; and Fraudulent Use of a Credit Card, a Class D Felony. He was sentenced to six years of probation, a $1,500 fine, and is required to pay restitution of $30,112 within 30 days.

To download a PDF of this release, click here.

About Attorney General Tim Griffin

Tim Griffin was sworn in as the 57th Attorney General of Arkansas on January 10, 2023, having previously served as the state’s 20th Lieutenant Governor from 2015-2023. From 2011-2015, Griffin served as the 24th representative of Arkansas’s Second Congressional District, where he served on the House Committee on Ways and Means, House Armed Services Committee, House Committee on Foreign Affairs, House Committee on Ethics and House Committee on the Judiciary while also serving as a Deputy Whip for the Majority.

Griffin has served as an officer in the U.S. Army Reserve Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps for more than 28 years and currently holds the rank of colonel. In 2005, Griffin was mobilized to active duty as an Army prosecutor at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and served with the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) in Mosul, Iraq.

He is currently serving as the Commander of the 2d Legal Operations Detachment in New Orleans, Louisiana. His previous assignments include serving as the Commander of the 134th Legal Operations Detachment at Fort Liberty (née Bragg), North Carolina, and as a Senior Legislative Advisor to the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness at the Pentagon. Griffin earned a master’s degree in strategic studies as a Distinguished Honor Graduate from the U.S. Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania.

Griffin also served as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, and Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Director of Political Affairs for President George W. Bush; Special Assistant to Assistant Attorney General Michael Chertoff, Criminal Division, U.S. Department of Justice; Special Assistant U.S. Attorney, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Arkansas; Senior Investigative Counsel, Government Reform and Oversight Committee, U.S. House of Representatives; and Associate Independent Counsel, Office of Independent Counsel David M. Barrett, In re: HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros.

Griffin is a graduate of Magnolia High School, Hendrix College in Conway, and Tulane Law School in New Orleans. He attended graduate school at Oxford University. He is admitted to practice law in Arkansas (active) and Louisiana (inactive). Griffin lives in Little Rock with his wife, Elizabeth, a Camden native, and their three children.

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