Jon Woods

Jonathan Earl Woods
Woods in 2013
Member of the Arkansas Senate from the 7th district
In office January 14, 2013 – January 9, 2017
Preceded by	Bill Pritchard
Succeeded by	Lance Eads
Member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from the 93rd district
In office January 8, 2007 – January 14, 2013
Preceded by	Doug Matayo
Succeeded by	Jim Dotson
Personal details
Born	(1977-08-23) August 23, 1977 (age 48) Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Residence	Springdale, Arkansas
Alma mater	University of Arkansas; Northwest Arkansas Community College
Occupation	Musician, banker, legislator
Website	Legislative bio

Jonathan Earl Woods (born August 23, 1977), also known as Jon Woods, is an American former politician and musician. He served as a Republican member of both chambers of the Arkansas General Assembly, representing the 93rd district in the Arkansas House of Representatives (2007–2013) and the 7th district in the Arkansas Senate (2013–2017).

In May 2018, Woods was convicted on multiple federal counts, including honest-services mail and wire fraud, and money laundering.^[1] On September 6, 2018, he was sentenced to 220 months in federal prison and ordered to pay $1.6 million in restitution.^[2]

Woods was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, on August 23, 1977. In 1979, he and his family moved to Blytheville, Arkansas, in Mississippi County, Arkansas. He attended public schools in Gosnell, Arkansas through the ninth grade, where he participated in football, basketball, and track. He became involved in local and state government through mentorship by Arkansas state representative Ann Bush. Bush and her husband, Allen—reported as part owners of Bush's Baked Beans—encouraged him to join the Boy Scouts of America, where he later achieved the rank of Eagle Scout.^{[citation needed]}

In 1993, Woods relocated with his family to Siloam Springs, Arkansas after his father accepted a position with Allen Canning. He attended a basketball camp at John Brown University that summer.^{[citation needed]} During high school at Siloam Springs High School, he participated in the Arkansas Boys State program.^{[citation needed]} He played football, basketball, and soccer, and took private vocal lessons at John Brown University.^{[citation needed]} He also worked as a lifeguard and swim instructor at local pools during this time.^{[citation needed]}

Woods graduated in 1996 and attended Northwest Arkansas Community College in Bentonville, where he earned an Associate of Arts and an Associate of Science in Business.^{[citation needed]} He later transferred to the University of Arkansas, where he earned a bachelor's degree in marketing management from the Sam M. Walton College of Business in 2002.^[3][4] While at the university, he served in the Associated Student Government Senate, chaired the College Republicans, and interned at the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center.^[5] He was also a member of Pi Kappa Alpha and participated in intramural sports.^{[citation needed]}

Growing up in the Arkansas Delta, Woods and his brother, Dustin, were influenced by the nearby Memphis, Tennessee music scene, including events on Mud Island during the 1980s and early 1990s. After the family relocated to Siloam Springs, Arkansas in 1993, Dustin began playing guitar and formed two high‑school bands that performed at talent shows. Although Jon Woods had an interest in music, his focus in high school was primarily on politics and sports.^{[citation needed]}

In 2004, Jon and Dustin Woods, along with Sean Marriott, formed the pop‑rock band A Good Fight. The band’s name was inspired by II Timothy 4:7 and served as a tribute to a deceased friend of Jon Woods. In 2006, after multiple auditions, the group selected Eddie Love as lead vocalist. The band released two albums: The City Could Be Ours by Morning (2008) and A Good Fight (2010). Their songs were featured on MTV programming and in the video game MLB 13: The Show. The band also performed at music festivals, including the SXSW Music Festival in Austin, Texas.^[6]

While serving in the legislature in 2009, Woods supported HB1837 (Act 497), which designated a portion of Highway 67 in northeastern Arkansas as “Rock ’n’ Roll Highway.” The legislation was intended to honor the region’s musical heritage and promote tourism and economic development. Artists associated with the highway include Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins.^[7]

Woods also proposed relocating the Arkansas Entertainers Hall of Fame from the Pine Bluff Convention Center to the River Market District in Little Rock to increase public exposure. The Hall of Fame houses memorabilia from Arkansas musicians and other entertainers.^[8]

In 2011, Woods produced the debut album by The Plaid Jackets, The New Adventures of the Plaid Jackets, Vol. 1, which included the track “Adam West Is Batman.” The song was later featured in the documentary Starring Adam West.^{[9][10][11][12]}

Woods served in the Arkansas House of Representatives from 2007 to 2013 and in the Arkansas Senate from 2013 to 2017. He is credited with sponsoring more than 100 bills that became law and with helping to establish task forces and commissions.^{[citation needed]} After reaching term limits in the House, he ran for the Arkansas Senate in District 7, which includes most of Springdale, Tontitown, Goshen, Elkins, Durham, parts of Fayetteville, and eastern Washington County.^[13] In 2015, Woods was recognized by the American Red Cross after performing CPR on a visitor at the Arkansas State Capitol.^[14][15][16]

Woods supported legislation to establish Arkansas’s first umbilical cord blood bank to collect stem cells for research.^[17] He received the “Invest in Life” award alongside Senator Johnny Key for work on this project.^[18][19]

Woods served as chair of the Technology Committee during this session,^[20] and sponsored a constitutional amendment to guarantee the rights to hunt and fish in Arkansas.^[21] The amendment was approved by voters in 2010.^[22]

Woods sponsored legislation to increase penalties for sex crimes,^[23] enhance public notification for offenders,^[24] and implement electronic health records through the Office of Health Information Technology.^[25] He also co‑sponsored legislation to establish a state sales‑tax holiday on school supplies.^[26]

As a state senator, Woods served on committees including Insurance and Commerce, Judiciary, and the Arkansas Legislative Council.^[27] He sponsored Carter’s Law, promoting education about shaken baby syndrome.^[28]

During the 90th General Assembly, Woods was recognized by the Arkansas National Guard with a civilian award,^{[citation needed]} and supported ballot measures, including a constitutional amendment related to state‑issued bonds.^[29]

On March 1, 2016, Woods publicly endorsed Donald Trump in the 2016 Republican presidential primary; at the time, many other Arkansas lawmakers held a press conference to endorse Marco Rubio instead.^[30] According to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, out of 101 elected Republican legislators, constitutional officers, and members of Congress in Arkansas, Woods was the only one to publicly endorse Trump in the 2016 primary.^[31]

Marco Rubio’s Arkansas state chairman, State Sen. Bart Hester (R–Cave Springs), said at the time, “I can’t sit here and say I’m willing to vote for Donald Trump at this time. He just doesn’t share the values that I share.”^[32]

On March 1, 2016, Woods stated:

“I support Donald Trump for the 2016 Republican Presidential bid of the United States of America. Donald Trump is a Christian Conservative who is strongly pro-life, understands the importance of the 2nd amendment, supports a limited government, is anti new taxes and loves his family and country deeply. I believe Donald Trump’s leadership as President of the United States will Make America Great Again.”^[33]

In February 2016, Jeff Oland of Farmington, Arkansas filed an ethics complaint with the Arkansas Ethics Commission alleging that Woods coordinated campaign mailers in his 2012 election with Conservative Arkansas PAC.^[34] After reviewing evidence and conducting interviews, the commission dismissed the complaint in May 2016.^[35]

On March 1, 2017, a federal grand jury indicted Woods, Oren Paris III (president of Ecclesia College), and Randell Shelton Jr., alleging a scheme to steer General Improvement Fund (GIF) grants to favored recipients in exchange for kickbacks; Woods denied the charges through counsel.^[36][37] In a related matter, Representative Micah Neal pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit honest‑services fraud arising from GIF grants.^[38]

Woods’s jury trial was initially set for May 8, 2017, then continued to December 8, 2017, and later to April 9, 2018, to accommodate additional defendants, discovery, and pretrial motions.^[39][40][41]

Pretrial hearings on January 25–26, 2018, examined how FBI Special Agent Robert Cessario handled covert audio evidence recorded by Micah Neal; Cessario testified he had a government laptop wiped and admitted it was improper, explaining he sought to remove personal medical files, while maintaining the audio had been preserved to discs earlier.^[42][43] The court later noted Cessario was removed from the case and referred for investigation by the Department of Justice Office of Inspector General.^[44]

At the same hearings, questions arose about obtaining “pristine” copies from the law office of Neal’s attorney after a computer crash; the government reported that a backup at a local vendor yielded one additional audio file, bringing the total to 119 recordings provided to the parties.^[45][46][47]

On May 3, 2018, after a multi‑week trial and two days of deliberation, a jury convicted Woods of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, twelve counts of wire fraud, and money laundering; on September 6, 2018, he was sentenced to 220 months in prison and ordered to pay $1.6 million in restitution, below the guidelines range.^[48][49]Cook, Marty; Turner, Lance (2018-09-05). "Update: Jon Woods sentenced to 220 months in prison for kickback scheme". Arkansas Business. Retrieved 2018-09-09.

On August 17, 2022, former FBI Special Agent Robert F. Cessario pleaded guilty to corruptly destroying an object to impair its use in an official proceeding; on January 3, 2023, he was sentenced to three years’ probation (including six months’ home confinement) and a $25,000 fine.^[50][51]

Following sentencing in 2018, Woods filed a notice of appeal to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.^[52]

On October 16, 2020, the Eighth Circuit affirmed the judgment, holding that dismissal was not required notwithstanding an FBI agent’s misconduct because the destroyed material lacked apparent exculpatory value and the information was otherwise available (citing the panel’s earlier reasoning in a related appeal).^[53]

In April 2022, Woods sought a new trial based on purported newly discovered evidence.^[54] On August 31, 2022, the Eighth Circuit unanimously denied relief, concluding that “the purportedly newly discovered evidence buttressed rather than rebutted the case against Woods and was immaterial or previously available.”^[55]

The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) is a U.S. professional organization that advocates for justice and due process for individuals accused of crimes or other misconduct.^[56]

In connection with the appeals arising from the Ecclesia College case, NACDL filed an amicus curiae brief in the Eighth Circuit urging reversal based on due process concerns related to destruction of evidence.^[57] The brief contended that intentional “wiping” of a government‑issued laptop used in the investigation warranted a remedy sufficient to protect the defendant’s right to examine potentially exculpatory evidence and to deter similar misconduct.^[58]

“This case involves an important question of criminal law: Under the Due Process Clause of the United States Constitution, what is the appropriate remedy when a government agent acts in shocking bad faith, intentionally ‘wiping’ his government‑issued, undercover laptop computer instead of delivering it for a forensic evaluation as instructed by the judge? … The remedy given by the Court wasn’t nearly sufficient to (a) satisfy the defendant’s right to seek and discover potentially exculpatory evidence; (b) punish the government for wrongful conduct in this case; or (c) deter wrongful conduct in future cases by similarly situated government agents or entities. … This Court should reverse the decision of the District Court, and remand this case with instructions to dismiss the indictment.”^[59]

On September 22, 2017, President Donald Trump nominated Duane “Dak” Kees to serve as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas; he was confirmed in December 2017 and sworn in on January 5, 2018.^[60] Kees resigned effective January 17, 2020, to return to private practice.^[61][62]

A subsequently released Department of Justice Office of Inspector General report concluded that Kees engaged in an intimate relationship with a subordinate during 2018, contrary to DOJ expectations for supervisory conduct; the report notes he resigned while the matter was under review.^[63][64]

In June 2023, Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin appointed Kees to the state’s Judicial Discipline and Disability Commission. He resigned from the commission in May 2024 following public reporting on the OIG’s findings.^[65][66]

Journalists Doug Thompson and Lisa Thompson of the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette filed a FOIA lawsuit against the Department of Justice after the FBI declined to produce records from its Office of Inspector General investigation of Special Agent Robert Cessario. The plaintiffs allege the DOJ failed to comply with the statutory deadline and violated FOIA’s requirements for timely determinations.^[67][68]

On August 8, 2022, the Thompsons submitted a FOIA request for the complete OIG report and related materials. The FBI denied the request on October 17, 2022, and again upon appeal on December 22, 2022.^[69] On April 9, 2024, the FBI acknowledged locating 3,783 pages of potentially responsive records and estimated a 67-month processing time.^[70]

The lawsuit asserts the FBI’s failure to respond within 20 working days violated FOIA. On November 26, 2024, Judge Timothy Brooks ordered the FBI to begin releasing documents in monthly batches, with the first 500 pages due by year-end.^[71]

Arkansas State Senate District 7 Nov 6, 2012

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Jon Woods	15,110	64.76
	Democratic	Diana Gonzales Worthen	8,221	35.24

Arkansas State Senate District 7 Primary May 22, 2012

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Jon Woods	2,784	51.58
	Republican	Bill Pritchard	2,613	48.42

State Representative District 093 Primary May 23, 2006

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Jon Woods	1106	57.16
	Republican	Kathy McFetridge	829	42.84

• Campaign website Archived 2009-07-15 at the Wayback Machine