Posted on 12/19/2007 1:59:23 PM PST by WoofDog123
BILOXI, Miss. -- Court records showed through ties to attorney Richard "Dickie" Scruggs, P.L. Blake will earn $50 million.
The Sun Herald reported Blake is earning that money for clipping newspaper articles and alerting Scruggs to maneuvering in political "cloakrooms," as Scruggs put it, from Mississippi to Washington.
Scruggs has said that Blake will earn $50 million in fees over 20 years from Scruggs' share of tobacco settlements.
Mike Moore, who as Mississippi's attorney general guided the tobacco litigation, has said he was unaware Scruggs is paying Blake such a large sum.
Accounts of how Blake earned the money are vague and contradictory.
Even more surprising, Blake and Scruggs were unable to explain whether they sealed their business agreement with a handshake or in writing.
Court records also indicate Scruggs sent $10 million in initial tobacco payments to Blake, passing them through intermediary Joey Langston, a Booneville attorney who shared Scruggs' ride to fortune on Moore's tobacco train.
Scruggs is now facing bribery charges of his own.
The FBI also has searched Langston's office, but he has not been charged with a crime. The U.S. Justice Department charges Scruggs, in yet another dispute over attorney's fees, helped concoct a scheme to bribe a North Mississippi judge with $50,000.
The lawsuit, filed in March, involves $25.6 million from a settlement for State Farm policyholders over Hurricane Katrina damage.
Would appear Mr Blake might have been/be the bagman for Scruggs. That kind of money went a lot further than the MS legislature. Will we ever hear the real story? IF it involves enough elected people, I do not for a minute believe even the feds will blow the whole thing open.
MS Ping
I’d like to see a photo of Mr. Blake.
Also, there was a much longer article on this subject in The Clarion Ledger earlier in the week, maybe Sunday. I didn’t post it because it was the C-L, and they have such painful posting rules. I knew someone would eventually pick up the story.
What is the chances that the Scrugg’s problems will also affect the recently retired Trent Lott?
So far Lott’s name has not come up but
it sure is a strange coincidence.
from individual.com
“As for Blake, he beat charges 20 years earlier that he conspired to pay off bank officers in exchange for loans. Scruggs helped Blake through that difficult time, loaning Blake money — $10,000 and then $15,000 a month — before the tobacco cases paid off. “
“So far Lott’s name has not come up but
it sure is a strange coincidence.”
all it would take is a moderately ill-advised phone conversation between lott and scruggs recorded by the feds to create a problem for lott.
I do not believe his retirement is a coincidence.
yallpolitics.com has all kinds of blogs about this topic. Obviously everything in the comments is heresay (like freerepublic) but it does give one the impression that Mike Moore wants a senate seat, yet now is unequivocally not running.
Yet another example of how the tobacco settlement was never about "public health" it was just a massive democrat campaign donation scheme. The whole global warming hoax is an even bigger example of this.
Thank you, sir!
It seems like the story has changed from when I first read it late, late Sunday night. There was something about Senator Eastland in there. Or maybe I dreamed that up or read something about Senator Eastland somewhere else in the last week. It all runs together after a while . . .
I may have to get out my MS Sovereignty Commission book again and see if there’s anything about this feller in it.
Balducci is selling Dickie down the river as we speak.
look for breadloaves with quicksilver on the horizon
“Yet another example of how the tobacco settlement was never about “public health” it was just a massive democrat campaign donation scheme.”
why democrats? You think something this big isn’t bipartisan?
“Balducci is selling Dickie down the river as we speak.”
Yeah, the game is up for Scruggs.
I am more curious to see how far the various trails (Blake is most interesting) are pursued, as at some point the feds will reach connections they cannot touch without political approval from the top of DoJ, and even then may only get limited access/permission.
Rumor is that the head dog running this thing at FBI wants to blow the lid clean off. Like I said... rumor... but it comes from a decent source.
LLS
I have heard that Trent had planned this... but that comes from a very close and pro Lott man. I just do not know what the truth is... but the truth will out one day. It always does in the end.
LLS
“Rumor is that the head dog running this thing at FBI wants to blow the lid clean off. Like I said... rumor... but it comes from a decent source.”
I don’t doubt for a second he does.
The political leadership will put some limits on it, or already has.
The degree to which Blake’s money trail is pursued will be telling. You cannot move the kind of money this guy moved in cash easily, so I would assume there is some kind of trail.
A fundraiser for Hillary Clinton scheduled for Dec. 15th in Oxford, MS, at the home of plaintiffs attorney, Dickie Scruggs, has been cancelled, according to a MS Democratic State Executive Committee member.
Scruggs was indicted yesterday by a federal grand jury into allegations that he attempted to bribe a judge. Scruggs is brother-in-law to Sen. Trent Lott who recently announced his forthcoming resignation.
http://www.opednews.com/maxwrite/diarypage.php?did=5041
OXFORD (AP) — A Dec. 15 fundraiser at the Oxford home of attorney Richard “Dickie” Scruggs for the presidential campaign of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and featuring former President Bill 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.
Zeff did not elaborate on the announcement.
http://www.picayuneitem.com/local/local_story_334121353.html
trent lott’s brother in law, clinton fundraiser,
lead tobacco lawyer in the master-tobacco settlement
(estimated in 2000 to be over $206 BILLION)
centered in the texarkana courthouse,
was indicted yesterday for trying to bribe a state judge
in Katrina related insurance suit.
(one day after Lott’s resignation announcement)
during the tobacco litigation, officeholders included
president bill clinton
gov. g.w.bush (later president)
gov. mike huckabee (later candidate for president)
tx atty general morales (later convicted)
tx atty general cornyn (later senator)
ark atty general pryor (later senator)
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