Lawyer tries to bribe judge.

[zoiks]

Dumbass got it handed to him. Dude is awarded 5 years in the clink and a $250k fine.
Text

ATLANTA (Reuters) - A high-profile Mississippi lawyer, who became unpopular on Wall Street for battling powerful companies, was sentenced to five years in prison on Friday after pleading guilty to conspiring to bribe a judge.


Richard "Dickie" Scruggs made millions through landmark lawsuits against tobacco, pharmaceutical and construction companies. He also sued insurance companies after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans.

U.S. District Judge Neal Biggers ordered Scruggs to pay a $250,000 fine as well as for the cost of his incarceration, which was due to start on August 4, according to a local television journalist who attended the hearing.

It was the maximum sentence possible under a plea deal worked out with government prosecutors.

"I cannot be more ashamed. I've disappointed everyone in my life," Scruggs told U.S. District Court in Oxford, Mississippi, adding that his conduct was a "scar and stain" on his soul.

Scruggs appeared to cry at one point during the hearing and left the courtroom without speaking to reporters. The judge told him he should continue to cooperate with prosecutors over the case.

PAY A JUDGE

The indictment said Scruggs and four co-conspirators planned to pay Circuit Judge Henry Lackey $50,000 to return a ruling favorable to the Scruggs Law Firm.

The case involved a lawsuit brought against the firm regarding the division of $26.5 million in attorney's fees in Katrina-related insurance litigation.

After the bribe offer in March 2007, Lackey reported the encounter to the FBI and cooperated with its investigation, the U.S. attorney's office said.

Scruggs' most famous lawsuit against tobacco companies formed the basis of a 1999 movie "The Insider."

Scruggs was a leader of a group of law firms that successfully sued major cigarette makers on behalf of U.S. states and won a landmark $206-billion settlement in 1998.

Legal fees ran into the billions. An arbitrator awarded $8 billion to the lawyers who worked on the lawsuits in Florida, Mississippi and Texas alone. Scruggs' firm got nearly $900 million of that.

Sidney Backstrom, a member of the same firm as Scruggs, also pleaded guilty to count one of the indictment -- conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States. He was due to be sentenced later on Friday.

In Backstrom's case, the government agreed to recommend a sentence that would not exceed one half of the sentence imposed on Scruggs or 30 months in jail, documents showed.

 

[buck]

He is only sorry because he got caught, what a scumbag.

 

[EKKC]

judge was paid more $$ by the insurance companies.

 

[MmmSkyscraper]

LOL, what a gimp.

 

[waggy]

Originally posted by: buck
He is only sorry because he got caught, what a scumbag.

yeah. makes you wonder how many times he got away with it.

 

[PottedMeat]

U.S. District Judge Neal Biggers ordered Scruggs to pay a $250,000 fine as well as for the cost of his incarceration, which was due to start on August 4, according to a local television journalist who attended the hearing.

Is this a common thing? Sounds like it should be.

 

[Saint Nick]

With a last name like Scruggs, he just sounds like a tool.

 

[Chronoshock]

Probably wouldn't have been reported if he offered more than 50k. That's probably not much to a long time judge

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: PottedMeat

U.S. District Judge Neal Biggers ordered Scruggs to pay a $250,000 fine as well as for the cost of his incarceration, which was due to start on August 4, according to a local television journalist who attended the hearing.

Is this a common thing? Sounds like it should be.

I've always thought that fines would be a more effective way to combat some crimes than jail time. For poor urban kids, spending time in jail is like a rite of passage. Hit them where it hurts, and they might think twice about crime. Only problem is, it might make things worse. Guy can't pay his fine, gets desperate and goes out and commits more crimes. Unintended consequence.

 

[brxndxn]

Originally posted by: Chronoshock
Probably wouldn't have been reported if he offered more than 50k. That's probably not much to a long time judge

Ya.. the judge was probably insulted..

 

[Eli]

The sad thing is that I'm sure it happens all the time. He just got caught.

Also, and someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but it isn't against the law to do favors for friends.

Sure, the judge has an oath to uphold, blahblah.. But all that goes right out the window quite easily with most people.

 

[moks78]

Scruggs was a leader of a group of law firms that successfully sued major cigarette makers on behalf of U.S. states and won a landmark $206-billion settlement in 1998.

Legal fees ran into the billions. An arbitrator awarded $8 billion to the lawyers who worked on the lawsuits in Florida, Mississippi and Texas alone. Scruggs' firm got nearly $900 million of that.

Really greedy bast$rd...money is just not enough. Hope, he gets what is due him in the federal prison.

 

[darkxshade]

he should've bribed the judge to reduce his sentence

 

[Baked]

His "contribution" wasn't up to par with what the judge normally gets.

 

[kranky]

Gee, what terrible luck. A whole career of winning million- and billion-dollar lawsuits, and the very first time he tries to bribe a judge, he gets caught. What are the odds?

You would think someone who has been so successful in winning huge settlements wouldn't need to resort to bribes.

 

[Fenixgoon]

does anyone find it funny that the judge's name is "lackey"?

 

[captains]

bribe a judge with only 50K. pfft no wonder he got turned in

 

[EagleKeeper]

Originally posted by: kranky
Gee, what terrible luck. A whole career of winning million- and billion-dollar lawsuits, and the very first time he tries to bribe a judge, he gets caught. What are the odds?

You would think someone who has been so successful in winning huge settlements wouldn't need to resort to bribes.

do we know that it is the very first time?

 

[BornStar]

Originally posted by: Common Courtesy

Originally posted by: kranky
Gee, what terrible luck. A whole career of winning million- and billion-dollar lawsuits, and the very first time he tries to bribe a judge, he gets caught. What are the odds?

You would think someone who has been so successful in winning huge settlements wouldn't need to resort to bribes.

do we know that it is the very first time?

I think that was his point.

 

[alpineranger]

This fine is probably pretty light for someone who has probably earned hundreds of millions in past cases. I saw another article that said he was politically well connected, so that explains why he got off so lightly. I wonder if he's even going to get disbarred.

 

[BoomerD]

D'oh! WTF? Did he think he was in Mexico?

I have NO doubt this kind of thing goes on all the time, even here. We KNOW there are corrupt cops, why not corrupt judges?

 

[jjones]

Originally posted by: captains
bribe a judge with only 50K. pfft no wonder he got turned in

lol, first thing that crossed my mind. Doesn't pay to be a tightwad.

 

[tfcmasta97]

His lawfirm got 900 million and his bribe was 50 thousand????

 

[AlienCraft]

Originally posted by: brxndxn

Originally posted by: Chronoshock
Probably wouldn't have been reported if he offered more than 50k. That's probably not much to a long time judge

Ya.. the judge was probably insulted..

They offered $50k after they won $900 MIL, yeah the judge was insulted.

 

[imported_weadjust]

Originally posted by: alpineranger
This fine is probably pretty light for someone who has probably earned hundreds of millions in past cases. I saw another article that said he was politically well connected, so that explains why he got off so lightly. I wonder if he's even going to get disbarred.

His brother- in-law is ex Uninted States Senator Trent Lott. Lott was the highest ranking repulican senator and he announced his retirement two days before Scruggs was arrested.