Former FBI agent pleads guilty to charges connected to ex-state senator's corruption trial
In a plea deal filed Wednesday, a former FBI agent pleaded guilty to paying a business to "wipe" his computer to make the hard drive unavailable for forensic examination.
According to court documents, former agent Robert Cessario was charged with "corrupt destruction of record in an official proceeding" in connection to the corruption trial of former state Sen. Jon Woods of Springdale.
In the plea deal, Cessario stated: "I erased the contents of the computer hard knowing that the court has ordered that the computer be submitted for a forensic examination. I did so with the intention of making the contents of the computer’s hard unavailable for forensic examination. At the time, I knew that the contents of the hard drive were relevant to an official proceeding, that is, Cause No. 5:17-CR-50010, United States v. Woods et al. I corruptly performed and had performed, the erasures with intent to impair the integrity and availability of the computer hard drive and its contents for use in that official proceeding."
Cessario could possibly face 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, forfeiture of property involved in the criminal offense, and supervision upon release.
Cessario's charges stem from his role in the corruption trial of Woods who was convicted of mail fraud and 14 counts of wire fraud in 2018.
Woods was convicted of steering state funds to Ecclesia College in Springdale in exchange for kickbacks.
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