Fifth Judge Assigned To Tucker Fraud Case

A fraud case involving Gov. Jim Guy Tucker was assigned on Tuesday to U.S. District Judge Stephen M. Reasoner - its fifth judge. Three others had stepped aside and one had been removed, all for reasons of conflict of interest.

The latest to recuse himself was U.S. District Judge James Moody, a Clinton appointee who last year married the widow of White House deputy counsel Vince Foster. Moody had said during his confirmation hearing that he would not hear any Whitewater-related cases.

Whitewater prosecutor Kenneth Starr has said only that the case is “related to the investigation of the president and Hillary Rodham Clinton.”

Tucker and William Marks, partners in the 1980s, were charged with making false statements to obtain a federally backed loan and conspiring to avoid federal taxes. They face 12 years in prison, if convicted.