Attorney Scruggs Gets Five Years
For Conspiring to Bribe Judge
Associated Press
June 27, 2008 12:07 p.m.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1214...=djemalertNEWS Quote:
Mr. Scruggs, 62 years old, earned hundreds of millions of dollars and became one of the wealthiest tort attorneys in the country during a legal career that took him to the top of his profession.
Mr. Scruggs, the brother-in-law of former U.S. Sen. Trent Lott, gained prominence in the 1990s as one of the chief architects of the $206 billion nationwide tobacco settlements. That case was portrayed in the 1999 film "The Insider," starring Al Pacino and Russell Crowe.
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Attorney Scruggs, a prominent attorney with years of success in his resume knowingly attempted to bribe a court judge for $50,000. His attempt to receive a favorable ruling on a $26.5 million dollar Katrina Hurricane case did not fly and the court judge reported to the appropriate federal authorities.
Attorney Scruggs is now sentenced to five years in prison along with a $250,000 fine. Mr. Scruggs did not bribe the judge because of the prize money at the end of the case but more so to retain his winning streak and reputation. Too bad the judgment was against him.