A former sheriff from Hot Spring County, Arkansas, has been sentenced to 24 months in federal prison and three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to engaging in a scheme to conceal a material fact from a governmental agency. The sentencing took place before Chief Judge Susan O. Hickey at the U.S. District Court in Hot Springs.
Court records show that Derek “Scott” Finkbeiner, 47, was elected as sheriff and began his term in January 2023. By May of that year, federal agents had discovered Finkbeiner’s illegal use of crack cocaine and methamphetamine.
The investigation revealed that in August 2023, when Finkbeiner became aware of a federal probe into his drug supplier, he attempted to divert attention away from his personal dealer. Between August 19 and August 24, 2023, Finkbeiner misled FBI agents about his relationship with the subject of their investigation. He admitted to being present during an FBI-controlled narcotics purchase at the target’s residence and using drugs with the individual under investigation. Finkbeiner also acknowledged that he lied about both his own and the Hot Spring County Sheriff Department’s relationship with this person in hopes of persuading federal authorities to end their inquiry.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes for the Western District of Arkansas announced the sentence.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted by First Assistant U.S. Attorney Kim Harris along with Assistant United States Attorneys Bryan Achorn and Trent Daniels from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Arkansas.
