A federal grand jury has indicted former state senator and lobbyist Gilbert Baker on conspiracy, bribery and wire-fraud charges in an alleged scheme involving a nursing-home owner and a now-imprisoned judge.
Baker, 62, of Conway was the only defendant named in the nine-count indictment, handed up Thursday and released Friday.
The charges, which include seven wire-fraud counts, resulted from a criminal investigation that led to former Circuit Judge Michael Maggio pleading guilty to bribery in January 2015. Maggio, 57, later tried unsuccessfully to withdraw the plea and began serving a 10-year prison sentence in July 2017.