Two executives sentenced in bribery, embezzlement scheme that has placed several Arkansas lawmakers in federal prison

A Missouri-based health care charity bribery and embezzlement scheme that had already put several former Arkansas lawmakers in prison had two former firm executives sentenced in federal court in April.

The two were the former chief operating officer and chief financial officer of Missouri-based Preferred Family Healthcare, Inc. The former COO, 68-year-old Tommy “Tom” Ray Gross, received a six-year prison sentence on April 25, and his wife and former CFO, 65-year-old Bontiea Bernedette Gross, received a three-year sentence on Monday. The court also ordered the pair to pay $4.35 million in a combination of forfeitures and restitution.

The sentencing came after both had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to pay bribes and kickbacks to elected Arkansas officials in September 2022. Tom Gross also pleaded guilty to embezzling funds and filing false tax returns.

One Arkansas legislator discovered in the government’s investigation was former state Sen. Jeremy Hutchinson. Hutchinson received an eight-year sentence in 2023 after pleading guilty to false tax returns and federal program bribery charges in the Eastern and Western District of Arkansas and the Western District of Missouri federal courts in 2019. He is the son of former United States Sen. Tim Hutchinson and nephew of former Gov. Asa Hutchinson.