Former Rutherford County Sheriff Robert Arnold has been sentenced to four-years in prison. The ruling from Senior U.S. District Judge Marvin E. Aspen came down Thursday.

The former sheriff, according to terms of the plea deal, will have to pay 60-thousand dollars in restitution to Rutherford County.

In January, Arnold, 40, pleaded guilty to three counts of a 14-count federal indictment lodged against him in connection with an unauthorized scheme to sell e-cigarettes to county jail inmates and pocket the money instead of sending the proceeds to the county general fund and trying to conceal his involvement.

He has already served eight-months of his 50-month sentence and will get credit for time served.

PREVIOUSLY REPORTED

Senior U.S. District Judge Marvin E. Aspen will be handling the sentencing at 9:00 o'clock Thursday morning (today, 5/4/2017) in the corruption case of former Rutherford County Sheriff Robert Arnold. Arnold is awaiting sentencing in a West Tennessee prison.

Judge Aspen took the case from Judge Kevin Sharp who stepped down to go into private practice.

Aspen set sentencing hearings for co-defendant John Vanderveer for Sept. 6 and former Sheriff's Chief Administrative Deputy Joe Russell for Sept. 8.

In January, Arnold, 40, pleaded guilty to three counts of a 14-count federal indictment lodged against him in connection with an unauthorized scheme to sell e-cigarettes to county jail inmates and pocket the money instead of sending the proceeds to the county general fund and trying to conceal his involvement.

Arnold entered a guilty plea to single counts of wire fraud, honest services fraud and extortion as an official. He resigned as sheriff a day before the plea.

Vanderveer and Russell are free on bond. Russell and Vanderveer also pleaded guilty in connection with the scheme.