An Arkansas judge resigned Monday after a state judicial panel investigation accused him of engaging in sexual acts with and taking lewd photographs of defendants to fulfill community service requirements. The allegations against part-time district court judge Joseph Boeckmann Jr. date back 30 years and include numerous examples of abuse of power and sexual misconduct.
From the Associated Press:
“Boeckmann resigned after a state judicial commission presented him with new allegations, including one case when a man said he was taken to a courtroom, told to strip naked and photographed in handcuffs. Allegations were made public last year that Boeckmann had engaged in inappropriate sexual relationships including photographing and paddling defendants in exchange for lighter sentences…. The documents show that investigators found thousands of photos on Boeckmann’s home computers of naked and semi-naked men, many of whom were identified by the commission as former defendants whose cases had gone before Boeckmann both as a judge and as a deputy prosecutor…. investigators also found hundreds of checks written from the judge’s personal and professional accounts paying defense attorneys and court fines for defendants.
Boeckmann has not been charged with a crime, but appears to be guilty of quite a few of them. After years of alleged abuse, the misconduct came to light serendipitously. “The commission, which investigates judges over possible misconduct or for disabilities that prevent them from doing their jobs, began an inquiry into Judge Boeckmann in 2014 over a possible conflict of interest in an unrelated case on elder care, [the commission’s executive director David] Sachar said,” according to the New York Times. “But that case took a surprising turn when court employees began asking investigators, Did you hear about the boys?”
