Tobacco-deal lawyer indicted in Miss.

Yahoo ^ | 11/29/07 | Michael Kunzelman

[qam1]

NEW ORLEANS - An attorney who helped negotiate a multibillion-dollar settlement against tobacco companies in the 1990s and has sued insurers over unpaid Hurricane Katrina claims was indicted Wednesday in a suspected scheme to bribe a Mississippi judge.

The indictment accuses Richard "Dickie" Scruggs of conspiring to pay the judge $50,000 to rule in his favor in a lawsuit brought by other attorneys who sought fees for work on Katrina insurance litigation.

Circuit Court Judge Henry Lackey reported the "bribery overture" to federal authorities and agreed to assist investigators in an "undercover capacity," according to the indictment.

Scruggs was indicted along with three other attorneys, including his son, who is his law partner, and a former Mississippi auditor. They face charges including one count of defrauding the federal government and two counts of wire fraud.

"I'm convinced that these guys did not do what they're accused of doing," said Joey Langston, a lawyer for Scruggs' firm.

Also named as defendants in the indictment are Zach Scruggs; Sidney Backstrom, a lawyer in Scruggs' firm; Timothy Balducci, a New Albany, Miss.-based lawyer; and former state auditor Steven Patterson, who works with Balducci.

Patterson resigned as auditor in 1996 after he was accused of lying on state documents to avoid paying taxes on a car tag......

[Sacajaweau]

Okay....Good guys, bad guys. Who's connected to which party?

Just for the record!!

[qam1]

Always nice when one of these *&@! gets caught

[rvoitier]

That’s also Trent Lott’s brother-in-law. Coincidence he resigned abruptly? Michelle Malkin doesn’t think so.

[Gabz]

Couldn’t happen to a nicer bunch of crooks -— er I mean guys :)

[SheLion]

Always nice when one of these *&@! gets caught

Thanks for the ping.  I am still not sure what this is all about.  I will have to read this again................is this a good thing or a BAD thing???

[Gabz]

I will have to read this again................is this a good thing or a BAD thing???

Let's call it poetic justice for one of the masterminds of the MSA..............

[Old Professer]

The guy’s got millions of tobacco money in his jeans and he offers the judge who could fill the other pockets with more millions a measly $50,000?

No wonder the judge ratted out the cheapskate.

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!

[Foolsgold]

Big-Time Donor To North Dakota Democrats Gets Indicted
Scruggs poured $10,000 into the North Dakota Democrat party last election cycle, which is a lot for a “small market” politics state like this one. Will the North Dakota Democrats give this guy’s money back if he gets convicted?
Corruption was a major part of the last election. Bigger than Iraq, I’d say, and the Democrats campaigned on it both in North Dakota and across the nation. So now that Scruggs is going down, will the Democrats be giving his tainted money back? It’s bad enough that the ND Democrats get the vast majority of their campaign money from out of state, but getting it from crooks too?
I won’t hold my breath waiting for it, nor will I hold it waiting for someone in the North Dakota media to report this connection to North Dakota’s Democrats
from
. KX TV Fargo North Dakota

[Sunshine Sister]

I wonder if this has anything to do with Lott resigning from the Senate.

[Eric Blair 2084]

It's funny how what comes around goes around. It always does.

[The Ghost of Rudy McRomney]

I LOVE it myself.

[libertarian27]

One more Fundraiser off the table.

http://www.sunherald.com/212/story/217648.html

Scruggs event for Clinton dropped
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

OXFORD —
A Dec. 15 fundraiser at the Oxford home of attorney Richard “Dickie” Scruggs for the presidential campaign of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, featuring former President Clinton, has been canceled, a campaign official said Thursday.

“In light of new developments we have canceled the event,” said Blake Zeff, a campaign spokesman.

[The Ghost of Rudy McRomney]

Why does it not surprise me the Klintons would be his candidates of choice?