AK official accused of socialist redistribution of bar-exam scores, charged with 65 felonies for public-records tampering

Between 2020 and 2025, Nancie Givens allegedly tampered with dozens of scores to redistribute points from those who earned them and give them to those who needed them, according to a press release Thursday from the state Supreme Court.

In at least one case, Givens changed a passing score to a failing one.

“If these allegations are true, these actions constitute an unprecedented breach of public trust,” it said.

Givens, who left the job in February, was charged with 65 counts of tampering with public records following a joint investigation by the Arkansas State Police and the FBI that was initiated in April.

Her successor, Robert Brech, had launched an internal review after noticing the irregularities and flagged the issue for state and federal authorities.

Investigators found that some 11,400 files had been deleted or were unavailable, including bar examinee applications, profiles, and exam score sheets, the American Bar Association’s ABA Journal reported.

“I recognize the responsibility Ms. Givens was entrusted with to safeguard the accuracy of bar examination results and preserve the records supporting them,” prosecuting attorney Will Jones said in a press release, according to the Arkansas Times.

“The charges concern how she handled those specific duties, including the alteration of exam results and the destruction of supporting records,” Jones added.

By law, the records were expected to be retained for 25 years.

Givens served in the role for around 13 years, according to a LinkedIn account bearing her name and details.