Micah Scott Neal (born November 8, 1974) is a

business Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or Trade, buying and selling Product (business), products (such as goods and Service (economics), services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for pr ...

man and politician. Neal represented part of Springdale in the

Arkansas House of Representatives The Arkansas State House of Representatives is the lower house of the Arkansas General Assembly, the state legislature of the US state of Arkansas. The House is composed of 100 members elected from an equal amount of constituencies across the ...

from 2013 until 2017. From 2003 to 2011, he was a

justice of the peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

on the Washington County

quorum court Commissioners' court, or in Arkansas a quorum court, is the governing body of Local government in the United States, county government in three US states: Arkansas, Texas and Missouri. It is similar in function to a board of county commissioners. A ...

. He pleaded guilty in 2017 to fraud relating to misuse of the state's surplus money.

Bribery

On January 4, 2017, Neal pled guilty to conspiring to direct $600,000 in state government funds to

Ecclesia College Ecclesia College is a private evangelical Christian work college in Springdale, Arkansas. It is accredited by the Association for Biblical Higher Education. The college was founded in 1975 by Oren Paris II, the college's first chancellor and the f ...

and another

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

in exchange for $38,000 in

bribes Bribery is the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official, or other person, in charge of a public or legal duty. With regard to governmental operations, essentially, bribery is "Corru ...

. He was found guilty and sentenced to one year of home confinement, two years probation, 300 hours of community service and restitution of $200,000. The plea agreement also singled out the president of the college—Oren Paris III—for direct involvement with the conspiracy. Paris stated that "neither I nor anyone associated with Ecclesia College has ever participated or engaged in any activity to provide money to Mr. Neal or any other legislator in exchange for the receipt of those funds." Also indicted in the case is former

state Senator A state senator is a member of a state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. Description A state senator is a member of an upper house in the bicameral legislatures of 49 U ...

Jon Woods Jonathan Earl Woods, known as Jon Woods (born August 23, 1977, in Charlotte, North Carolina), is a Republican former member of both houses of the Arkansas General Assembly, a record producer, and a musician. He is now in federal prison for pol ...

of Springdale and Randell Shelton, Jr., of

Alma Alma or ALMA may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Alma'' (film), a 2009 Spanish short animated film * ''Alma'' (Oswald de Andrade novel), 1922 * ''Alma'' (Le Clézio novel), 2017 * ''Alma'' (play), a 1996 drama by Joshua Sobol about Alma ...

Crawford County Crawford County is the name of eleven counties in the United States: * Crawford County, Arkansas * Crawford County, Georgia * Crawford County, Illinois * Crawford County, Indiana * Crawford County, Iowa * Crawford County, Kansas * Crawford County, ...

, Arkansas.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Neal, Micah 1974 births Living people 21st-century American criminals American fraudsters American politicians convicted of bribery Arkansas politicians convicted of crimes People from Springdale, Arkansas University of Arkansas alumni Businesspeople from Arkansas Republican Party members of the Arkansas House of Representatives County justices of the peace in Arkansas Baptists from Arkansas 21st-century American politicians