Submitted by Harold Saive
https://conservativebrief.com/
Already reeling from suspicion following a raid on former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, the FBI suffered another public relation hit earlier this week.
As reported by KATV, a former FBI agent pleaded guilty to allegations that he purposely destroyed evidence to frame a pro-Trump state lawmaker in Arkansas.
The guilty plea was part of a bargain between prosecutors and the former agent Robert Cessario, who 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, the outlet reported.
“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,” Cessario stated in the plea deal.
“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,” the statement noted further.
The former agent faces up to 20 years in prison and a potential fine of as much as $250,000, according to KATV.
“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,” the outlet reported. “Woods was convicted of steering state funds to Ecclesia College in Springdale in exchange for kickbacks.”