FORT SMITH, Ark. (AP) — A former Arkansas state senator who pleaded guilty to money laundering and fraud charges has been moved from a federal prison in Oklahoma to a halfway house ahead of his scheduled release next month.

Former Sen. Jake Files is serving an 18-month prison sentence after pleading guilty to falsifying bids and pocketing thousands of dollars in state funds intended for construction of a sports complex.

According to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette , Files was moved from the prison in El Reno, Oklahoma, to a halfway house in Little Rock before his scheduled release on Nov. 11.

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Files is a Republican from Fort Smith who served a dozen years in the Legislature before he resigned last year. He is among several Arkansas lawmakers who faced criminal charges in the past few years.

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Information from: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, http://www.arkansasonline.com