Obviously a far cry from a "high profile" case but I got into some trouble in college (back around 1991). Let's just say I was really friggin' stupid and thought it would be neat to grow some plants in my dorm room. Long story short but I got caught with those and a mess of other related stuff. Had a felony and two misdemeanors hanging over my head, as well as possible suspension from the university. My family hired the best lawyer in my area and all I got out of the whole ordeal was 20 hours of stuffing envelopes in the chancellor's office for incoming freshmen.
Our system is screwed IMO. If you have the money, you can buy yourself out of virtually any trouble you get into.