LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — A Little Rock man has been arrested on allegations of stealing $24,335 from tobacco settlement proceeds, according to Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge. Rutledge says Part of the Solution Executive Director Dwayne Robinson was arrested Tuesday following an extensive investigation by The Public Integrity Division of the Arkansas Attorney General’s Office.
In November 2000, the Tobacco Settlement Proceeds Act was passed by Arkansans and part of the funding was allocated to the Prevention and Cessation Program. Funds from the Tobacco Settlement Proceeds Act were disbursed to the University of Arkansas Pine Bluff (UAPB), Minority Initiative Sub-Recipient Grant Office (MISRGO). Through UAPB, MISRGO awards funds to sub-grantees specifically to prevent and reduce tobacco use in minority communities. That process granted Robinson funding for his non-profit organization Part of the Solution.
A MISRGO employee discovered questionable reimbursements Robinson made on behalf of Part of the Solution. UAPB was notified and contacted Internal Audit for the University of Arkansas System where staff conducted an audit and found Robinson falsified board minutes, forged checks, fabricated invoices, and altered bank statements.
University of Arkansas Systems auditors contacted the Arkansas Attorney General’s Office Public Integrity Division in February 2020. After a thorough criminal investigation by special agents, an arrest warrant was issued for Robinson. Robinson is charged with one count of theft of property, a Class C felony; 10 counts of forgery second degree, Class C felony; and two counts of falsifying business records, a Class A misdemeanor. Robinson was booked in the Jefferson County jail.
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