STATE OF RIDGEWAY · DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
AGREEMENT NO. 26-1001.1
OCTOBER 1, 2026
DEFERRED PROSECUTION AGREEMENT
The State of Ridgeway and Arthur_Chen, Senior Judge of the Superior Court
This Agreement is made between the State of Ridgeway, acting through the Attorney General, and Arthur_Chen,
Senior Judge of the Superior Court of the State of Ridgeway (“Mr. Chen”). The Justice Department holds the authority
to prosecute all crimes under the Ridgeway Criminal Code, official misconduct among them, 2 R. Stat. § 111.002, and
the Attorney General is the chief prosecutor for the State, 2 R. Stat. § 121.002. On September 30, 2026, the Attorney
General announced a criminal investigation into Mr. Chen’s conduct, and charges are now pending. Mr. Chen and the
Attorney General have since discussed the matter, and Mr. Chen has agreed to the terms that follow.
THE STATE AND MR. CHEN AGREE AS FOLLOWS:
THE CHARGES
1. The Department of Justice has charges pending against Mr. Chen (“the Pending Charges”) for the conduct
admitted in paragraph 3 (“the Covered Conduct”).
2. The State abates the Pending Charges, and defers prosecution of every other offense arising from the Covered
Conduct, for the term of this Agreement (“the Term”). The Term begins on the date Mr. Chen signs this
Agreement (“the Effective Date”) and lasts ninety (90) days: the Exclusion Period of thirty (30) days under
paragraph 6, followed by the Probationary Period of sixty (60) days under paragraph 10.
ADMISSIONS
3. Mr. Chen admits that:
(a) he is a Senior Judge of the Superior Court and a public servant;
(b) on more than one occasion before the Effective Date he went onto the floor of the State Senate unclothed
while the Senate was in session, and disrupted its proceedings; and
(c) the Senate has held him in contempt, and he has been arrested for Contempt of Senate, R.C.C. § 1.06, on at
least three occasions.
4. Mr. Chen agrees that this conduct was unbecoming of a judicial officer, and that by it he refrained from
performing duties clearly inherent in the nature of his office, within the meaning of R.C.C. § 2.15.
5. Mr. Chen acknowledges the gravity of the Covered Conduct and the weight of the evidence the Department of
Justice holds against him. He believes that the Department would probably obtain a conviction if the matter were
tried, and that this Agreement is necessary for that reason. He enters it after discussion with the Attorney General,
knowingly and voluntarily, having had the opportunity to consult counsel.
THE SENATE CHAMBER AND THE COURTS
6. For thirty (30) days beginning on the Effective Date (“the Exclusion Period”), Mr. Chen shall not enter the Senate
floor, unless expressly invited by the President of the Senate.
7. From the end of the Exclusion Period until the end of the Term, Mr. Chen may sit in the gallery of the Senate. He
shall not go onto the floor of the Senate unless expressly invited by the President of the Senate. An invitation
under this paragraph or paragraph 6 covers only the occasion for which it is given.
8. Paragraph 6 applies whether or not a court is in session. During the Exclusion Period Mr. Chen may nonetheless
attend a session of court. If he is the presiding judge, he may preside. If he is not, he shall remain in the gallery
unless the court calls him forward, and he shall not disrupt the court.
APOLOGY
9. Within seven (7) days of the Effective Date, Mr. Chen shall deliver to the President of the Senate a signed letter
apologizing for appearing unclothed before the Senate and for disrupting its proceedings, with a copy to the
Attorney General. He shall never do either again.
PROBATION
10. When the Exclusion Period ends, Mr. Chen shall be on probation for sixty (60) days (“the Probationary Period”).
He accepts this probation by agreement.
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STATE OF RIDGEWAY · DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
11. Every thirty (30) days during the Probationary Period, Mr. Chen shall check in with a probation officer appointed
by the Sheriff of Ridgeway County, 9 R. Stat. § 331.404(a), in the manner the officer directs. If no probation
officer has been appointed when a check-in falls due, he shall check in with the Department of Justice in writing.
12. At each check-in Mr. Chen’s criminal history record will be reviewed for a Triggering Event under paragraph 13,
and the result reported to the Attorney General.
BREACH
13. A Triggering Event is either of the following, occurring after the Effective Date and before the end of the Term:
(a) the Senate holds Mr. Chen in contempt, or he is arrested for Contempt of Senate, R.C.C. § 1.06; or
(b) a judge or justice of this State finds Mr. Chen in contempt of court, or he is arrested for Contempt of Court,
R.C.C. § 1.08.
14. A Triggering Event is the only breach of this Agreement, and it alone determines whether Mr. Chen has violated
it. No arrest or contempt before the Effective Date, and none for the Covered Conduct, is a Triggering Event. A
late letter under paragraph 9 or a missed check-in under paragraph 11 is not a breach, but the Term does not run
on any day on which either is overdue.
CHALLENGE TO A CONTEMPT
15. Within twenty-four (24) hours of a Triggering Event, Mr. Chen shall inform the Department of Justice in writing
of the Triggering Event and of whether he intends to challenge it. A challenge must be filed within the same
twenty-four (24) hours.
16. Mr. Chen may challenge a Triggering Event as follows:
(a) a contempt of the Senate, by appealing to the Senate or testifying before it, which the Senate may allow or
refuse at its sole discretion, or by petitioning a court for a writ of habeas corpus or appealing to a court to
vacate the contempt; and
(b) a contempt of court, by petitioning for a writ of habeas corpus or appealing to vacate the contempt.
17. Mr. Chen shall pursue any challenge to a decision as speedily and expeditiously as possible, and shall do nothing
to delay it.
18. If the contempt is vacated, it is not a breach, and this Agreement continues. If Mr. Chen gives no notice or files no
challenge within the twenty-four (24) hours, or if every challenge he files is denied, dismissed, or declined, the
Triggering Event stands.
PLEA OF GUILTY
19. When a Triggering Event stands, the abatement ends and Mr. Chen automatically pleads guilty to Official
Misconduct, a felony under R.C.C. § 2.15 and Section 506(c) of the Crime and Criminal Procedure Act of 2026
(S.B. 002) (“the Charge”). By signing this Agreement he enters that plea now, to take effect at that moment
without further act on his part. The State may present this Agreement to the Superior Court,
3 R. Stat. § 131.004(a), as his plea, and may file the Charge by complaint if it is not already before the court.
Mr. Chen shall appear when summoned, and shall neither withdraw the plea nor contest the facts admitted in
paragraph 3.
20. Mr. Chen waives any right to appeal the Charge. He pleads guilty with no reservation of any right to appeal, and
shall not appeal or otherwise seek review of the conviction or of the sentence. 6 R. Stat. §§ 131.803(b), 131.804.
21. Mr. Chen understands that a breach of this Agreement will bring the full power and resources of the Department
of Justice down upon him. The Department will prosecute him and seek the maximum sentence. For the Charge
that is imprisonment of sixty (60) minutes, R.C.C. § 2.15, with forfeiture of his office and disqualification from
any office, employment, or appointment in this State for up to six (6) months under Section 506(c). The
Department will also pursue his judgeship before the Supreme Court, petitioning it for disciplinary proceedings
against him, 3 R. Stat. § 121.107(b), and for the removal of his senior status, 3 R. Stat. § 122.105.
22. If for any reason the plea is not entered, the State may prosecute Mr. Chen on the Pending Charges and for any
other offense arising from the Covered Conduct, and his admissions in paragraph 3 may be used against him.
DISMISSAL
23. If the Term ends without a Triggering Event that stands, the Pending Charges and every other charge arising from
the Covered Conduct shall be dismissed with prejudice. The State may never bring them again, and the plea in
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STATE OF RIDGEWAY · DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
paragraph 19 shall have no effect. The Term does not end while a challenge is pending. The Attorney General
shall confirm the dismissal to Mr. Chen in writing.
GENERAL TERMS
24. Mr. Chen waives his right to a speedy trial on the Pending Charges, 6 R. Stat. § 131.305, for the length of the
Term.
25. This Agreement binds the Department of Justice and every successor to the office of Attorney General. It does
not bind the Senate or any court, and it limits neither their power to punish contempt nor the discipline of judicial
officers. It does not reach any conduct of Mr. Chen after the Effective Date.
26. This is the entire agreement of the parties. It may be changed only in a writing signed by both. The Attorney
General shall furnish a copy to the President of the Senate and to the Sheriff of Ridgeway County.
FOR THE STATE OF RIDGEWAY AGREED AND ACCEPTED
ADAMSTRATTON
ATTORNEY GENERAL OF RIDGEWAY
Date: October 1, 2026
ARTHUR_CHEN
SENIOR JUDGE OF THE SUPERIOR COURT
Date: Oct 1 2026
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