{{Short description|American politician (born 1974)}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Micah Scott Neal | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1974|11|8}} | birth_place = Washington County, Arkansas, USA | death_date = | death_place = | death_cause = | resting_place = | state_house = Arkansas | district = 89th | term_start = 2013 | term_end = 2017 | preceded = Charlie Collins | succeeded = Jeff Williams | party = Republican | alma_mater = Fayetteville Christian School<br /> University of Arkansas | occupation = Businessman | spouse = Cindy Neal | children = 3 | footnotes = }} '''Micah Scott Neal''' (born November 8, 1974) is a businessman and politician. Neal represented part of Springdale in the Arkansas House of Representatives from 2013 until 2017. From 2003 to 2011, he was a justice of the peace on the Washington County quorum court.<ref name=nealofspringdale>{{cite web|title=Micah Neal, R-89|publisher=arkansashouse.org}}</ref> He pleaded guilty in 2017 to fraud relating to misuse of the state's surplus money.<ref name="PLEA" />
==Bribery== On January 4, 2017, Neal pled guilty to conspiring to direct $600,000 in state government funds to Ecclesia College and another non-profit organization in exchange for $38,000 in bribes.<ref name="DEPJ">{{cite web |url=https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/arkansas-state-representative-pleads-guilty-bribe-conspiracy |title=Arkansas State Representative Pleads Guilty to Bribe Conspiracy |date=2017-01-04 |language=en}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite news | date = September 13, 2018 | title = Former Arkansas State Representative Sentenced To Three Years Probation For Wire Fraud | author = Western District of Arkansas, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Department of Justice | url = https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdar/pr/former-arkansas-state-representative-sentenced-three-years-probation-wire-fraud}}</ref>
The plea agreement also singled out the president of the college—Oren Paris III—for direct involvement with the conspiracy.<ref name="PLEA">{{cite web |url=http://posting.arktimes.com/media/pdf/agreement.pdf |title=Micah Neal Plea Agreement in United States District Court, Western District of Arkansas |date=2017-01-04 |language=en |access-date=2017-01-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170110020149/http://posting.arktimes.com/media/pdf/agreement.pdf |archive-date=2017-01-10 |url-status=dead }}</ref> 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."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://5newsonline.com/2017/01/06/ecclesia-college-responds-to-reports-of-involvement-in-bribery-scheme-investigation/|title=Ecclesia College Responds To Reports Of Involvement In Bribery Scheme Investigation|date=2017-01-06|website=Fort Smith/Fayetteville News {{!}} 5newsonline KFSM 5NEWS|access-date=2017-01-10}}</ref>
Also indicted in the case is former state Senator Jon Woods of Springdale and Randell Shelton, Jr., of Alma in Crawford County, Arkansas. {{Portal bar|Biography|United States|Politics|Conservatism|Business and Economics}}
==References== {{reflist}} {{s-start}} {{succession box |title=Arkansas State Representative<br />for District 89 (Washington County) | years = 2013–2017 | before=Charlie Collins (moved to District 84 by redistricting) | after=Jeff Williams }} {{s-end}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Neal, Micah}} Category:1974 births Category:Living people Category:21st-century American criminals Category:American fraudsters Category:American politicians convicted of bribery Category:Arkansas politicians convicted of crimes Category:People from Springdale, Arkansas Category:University of Arkansas alumni Category:Businesspeople from Arkansas Category:Republican Party members of the Arkansas House of Representatives Category:21st-century members of the Arkansas General Assembly Category:County justices of the peace in Arkansas Category:Baptists from Arkansas