Former U. of Central Arkansas Chief Dodges Prison Term

September 26, 2011, 12:19 pm

A former president of the University of Central Arkansas will avoid prison time for crimes tied to securing a secret $300,000 bonus, but Luther (Lu) Hardin will receive five years of probation for each of the two felony counts to which he pleaded guilty in March, the Associated Press reports. Mr. Hardin faced up to 20 years in prison for wire fraud and up to 10 years for money laundering, but prosecutors said he was cooperating on another investigation and they would not appeal the sentence. Mr. Hardin resigned from Central Arkansas amid controversy over the bonus in 2008, and he stepped down as president of Palm Beach Atlantic University in March.

This entry was posted in Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink.

E-mail

benchgroup

Too bad he isn’t going to the slammer. A lot of people believed in him, and he peddled his Christian values far and wide. Practicing from a prison cell what he claimed to believe would be the just reward he’s earned over many years.
22280998

What does he know about whom that is worth no jail time?
dale1

Did I read this correctly? Hardin was president of UCA and then became president of Palm Beach Atlantic (which I’ve never heard of) thereafter? So he was hired when the board of PBAU knew of the UCA shenanigans and went to trial during his presidency there? Mark that place off my list of potential employers.
blesstayo

Some presidents don’t go to prison for serious criminal acts, but just receive a pat on the back with a probation for “cooperating on another investigation”????
archman

I think it far more likely that Palm Beach Atlantic simply didn’t do a compentent background search. It is not unusual to see disgraced college administrators taking up new jobs across the country. The Chronicle has reported many such instances over the years.