Thomas David Carruth, a former Monroe County district judge and deputy prosecutor, was sentenced Monday to two years in federal prison for lying to the FBI.
Carruth, 65, of Clarendon, first came under scrutiny in 2022 after being accused of soliciting sex from a defendant’s girlfriend. The Arkansas Judicial Discipline and Disability Commission had already admonished him for prior unethical behavior involving inappropriate contact with defendants, including allegations of sexual solicitation.
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In January 2023, a federal grand jury indicted Carruth on multiple charges: three counts each of honest services wire fraud and interstate bribery, along with one count each of federal program bribery and making false statements to the FBI. One charge was dismissed before his trial began.
Following a two-day trial in Helena, a jury convicted Carruth on Aug. 30, 2024, solely for making false statements to the FBI.
Federal prosecutors later urged U.S. District Judge D. Price Marshall Jr. to apply an enhanced sentence, citing Carruth’s pattern of misconduct, refusal to accept responsibility, and inappropriate courtroom behavior. They requested a sentence of up to 18 months plus supervised release, rather than the typical six-month maximum.
Assistant U.S. attorneys Madison Mumma, Nicholas Cannon, and Julie Peters described Carruth’s conduct in a sentencing memorandum, stating that he had “repeatedly abused his authority for personal sexual gratification.” An FBI search of Carruth’s devices revealed a secretly recorded video of his nude stepdaughter and explicit email exchanges with a court employee.
The prosecution also submitted a 2018 admonishment from the Judicial Discipline and Disability Commission and a letter dated Feb. 11, 2025, from Executive Director Emily Abbott. In it, she described Carruth as “one of the top five threats to the integrity of the Arkansas state-level judiciary” and called his conviction “a great relief.”
“His inability to return to the judiciary or practice law is not an adequate punishment,” Abbott wrote. “He is a predatory liar and has been for quite some time.”
Defense attorney Jeffrey Rosenzweig of Little Rock argued that Carruth’s past behavior should not influence his sentence and pushed for probation instead.
However, Judge Marshall sided with prosecutors and sentenced Carruth to 24 months in prison without supervised release. Carruth will remain free on bond until he reports to the Federal Bureau of Prisons on August 22.
