Joseph Boeckmann, disgraced Arkansas judge, resigns amid widening sex scandal

Cross County District Judge Joseph Boeckmann announced his resignation Monday morning after investigators said a search of his computer uncovered naked photographs of male defendants who had appeared in his court.

Without explanation, Judge Boeckmann tendered his resignation in a letter to the Judicial Discipline and Disability Commission in which he promised to never “seek employment as a local, county or state employee or public servant in the State of Arkansas.”

Three days earlier, the commission confirmed in a letter to the judge’s attorney that its investigators had located more than 1,000 photographs on the judge’s computer that “depict young men, many naked who are in various poses inside the judge’s home and outside in his yard.”

“We identified many of the young men as those that your client had in front of him as defendants in Cross County District Court. Many of them are also recipients of checks from the judge during their time as defendants or probationers,” wrote the commission’s executive director, David Sachar.

“I anticipate receiving in excess of 3,400 more photographs very soon, also taken from the judge’s home computers,” he added.

Accusations of misconduct concerning the judge were laid out in a formal complaint brought by the commission in November that accused Judge Boeckmann of violating more than a dozen judicial ethics rules by offering leniency to defendants in exchange for sexual favors.

Judge Boeckmann denied the allegations, but he was suspended that month by the Arkansas Supreme Court.

Speaking to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette on Monday, Mr. Sachar credited the commission’s investigators for their findings.

“The lengthy, detailed analysis of some of the evidence that came out last week made a difference,” he said. “I also think there’s certain witnesses out there that came forward that were key.”

According to the letter sent by the commission on Friday, the search of the judge’s computer yielded images depicting “acts of masturbation, naked young men bent over a desk or a bar, etc.”

“There are numerous photos of naked young men bending over after an apparent paddling,” the letter reads in part. “Please accept this as notice to not destroy [or] otherwise dispose of this paddle.”

At least a dozen alleged victims have been named by the commission, and Mr. Sachar said he expects “several dozen more, if not 100 or more” will soon be identified.

“He’s a criminal predator who used his judicial power to feed his corrupt desires,” Mr. Sachar told The Associated Press. “Every minute he served as a judge was an insult to the Arkansas Judiciary.”

The Arkansas State Police, the attorney general and a special prosecutor have all investigated allegations concerning Judge Boeckmanm, but they have not filed any charges. On Monday, the office of Special Prosecutor Jack McQuary told Arkansas Times that it could not comment on “open investigations.”