From the indictment:
On or about December 10, 2007,… Bobby B. DeLaughter… did corruptly attempt to obstruct… an official proceeding, that is, while being interviewed by FBI agents… he stated that he “never spoke to Ed Peters regarding….” substantive issues relating to the case of Wilson v. Scruggs… when in truth and fact he had corruptly discussed with Ed Peters substantive issues in the Wilson v. Scruggs case on numerous occasions….
elsewhere:
On or about March 29, 2006, in order to exploit Judge DeLaughter’s aspirations to become a federal judge, Richard F. “Dickie” Scruggs caused his brother-in-law, then a United States Senator from Mississippi, to offer Judge DeLaughter consideration for appointment to a federal judgeship then open in the Southern District of Mississippi.
The case in which Circuit Judge DeLaughter was indicted here has been unsealed, revealing the five count indictment of Judge Bobby DeLaughter. The indictment is here and will be described below.
You can read about Judge DeLaughter’s arraignment here. Some of his biographical information and the cases that resulted in the indictment are described here.
Dickie Scruggs was originally charged in the same indictment and pled guilty, becoming a government witness. That’s described here and here.
The outlines of the scheme are well known. Also alleged is that on February 27, 2006, DeLaughter “secretly provided the Scruggs legal team with an ex parte advance copy of a court order in the Wilson case by electronically mailing the same to Ed Peters.” In August, Peters had “a number of improper ex parte meetings with Judge DeLaughter designed and intended to secretly influence the judge…” In August, DeLaughter “secretly and corruptly communicated with the Scruggs legal team through Ed Peters, affording them a unique and valuable opportunity to foresee and attempt to influence his rulings.”
From October of 2006 through October of 2007, Joey Langston wired about $950K from his office in Booneville to Peters to pay him for his role.
The mail fraud allegations include the emailing of the opinion adopting in part and rejecting in part the special master’s recommendation, the mailing of the entries of appearances (cited in Scruggs’s information), and an order Scruggs sent back.
You’d think Scruggs’s brother-in-law would have a name.
If DeLaughter goes to trial the subpeona will have a name for him.
Will the Judge call him Senator or Mr.?
There will never be a trial. This one is over all except the Delaughter plea deal.
If they name him then this lovely documant pops up when you google “Trent Lott” maybe they are helping maintain his image?
Third South, I don’t think they’d want to name the man who possibly got them their jobs..
I’m guessing DeLaughter has nothing to offer the Feds as far as info that might get him some sort of reduced sentence (but maybe there’s something I’m not considering). So, how much time is he looking at?
ccvz at 7: don’t be so sure about that. He presided over some rather interesting cases that resulted in some major $$ changing hands in Hinds county in the pre tort reform days, back when MS was Tort Hell.
Isn’t the only reference to the Senator the one I quoted, above?
Darn it, we’re having a similar discussion in the thread next door.
Among the many rumors: Delaughter was offered a deal whereby if he resigned and cooperated he would get a no or little jail time deal. If true, he has truly screwed the pooch by riding this through today.
A deal? Yes, they’ll offer one. Jail time? Without a doubt. He has no cards to play in this game.
Delaughter will cut a deal and plead. He can’t afford much litigation. But Peters will remain an unindicted, gum-chewing, free man??? This just can’t be.
Ben, dang, they’ve all got way too much dirt to shovel down to those manymany bodies for this to be “it.” I don’t believe that.
angst for Peters? get over it. he was the key from the start.
us old guys used to say, the first horse in the barn eats best.
Peters is feasting.
Of all the people in this cast of characters, Bobby DeLaughter appears to be almost naive, lacking in cunning, least likely to manipulate, less self-interested or egoistic. A child in the midst of a hungry pack of wolves each trying to show he is more macho than the other. Yet, the system will come down hardest upon him, I would suppose. That is the way of things.
His decency probably keeps him from striking a deal. Deals are sometimes made by those who use cunning to limit damage just as they would use cunning to gain advantage.
Speaking of packs of wolves, whose plane was longer, Joey’s or Dickie’s? I heard Dickie’s was ten feet longer. And, agreeing with you, SteveEugster, I doubt Delaughter was often aboard a Learjet, much less a KingAire or Gulfstream (speaking of which, I heard Dickie sold his and the yacht). Is it true that Joey get to keep his plane? What did Peters get to keep? I’d like to know.
3S @ 16: Apparently Peters gets to keep his lungs fulla free air. That’s no small thing.
talk about naive? Oh, 3rd: Peters bagged about 950K for that heavy lifting, I seem to recall. I’d rather have that any day than some airplane you got to unload in today’s economy.
ThirdSouth — And, one should wonder whether Langston still has a home in Telluride CO and whether he is still on the top of the Telluride society listings. Doubt DeLaughter ever had such aspirations.
Just reading all of the various blogs it suddenly hit me, Delaughter goes to trial, gets convicted ends up with a 12-15 year sentence as opposed to Balducci, Langston, Scruggs, etc. Scruggs get 7 years, Langston get 3, Balducci and Patterson get 2 (at least), Peters gets none. Truly amazing!!!
His decency probably keeps him from striking a deal.
I love me some irony.
But maybe this suggests the answer to my question just now: they kept Speetgens in place to control Bobby. He was just too dim and passive to see it.
lotus, I obviously don’t know for certain, but I believe Delaughter ignored the same advice from Speetjens that Stewart gave Peters.
Could be, Sioux. If so, that’s major proof of “dim.”
Ben Cole@17. Why the assumption that Peters will skate in exchange for ratting out DeLaughter et al.? Is it not probable that his (secret) deal with the feds involves waiver of indictment and agreement to plead guilty to a charge filed by information after his cooperation has been completed?
lotus@21 Irony indeed. You could be right about “dim” instead of my “decency” comment.
You said in your post “they kept Speetgens in place to control Bobby. He was just too dim and passive to see it.” Are you saying that someone was controling Speetjens? Are you saying she colluded with her office mate? Are you saying lawyers are about as decent as ________ (fill in the blank).
I don’t know. Don’t know who I would have good thoughts about these days.
Are you saying Speetjens may have been overtly or covertly controlled or influenced by others?
I don’t know, Steve — just wouldn’t trust anybody in Ed Peters’ orbit to play it straight on anything.
Ed Peters must have a pretty wide influence. And if he does that could mean there is a whole mess of trouble which might be disclosed. My confidence in authority grows less and less by the second. Imagine what things would be like if such people had an ideology which went beyond their mean spirited personal aggrandizement. We would be talking about police states and worse. And, we are fighting wars in other countries saying we are going to do good to them? What a mess ‘o hypocrisy.
Makes a guy want to join a monastery.
Makes a guy want to join a monastery.
Uh-huh, and little threat of being served pig’s head there, Steve — but we’d miss you, so I hope you won’t do it.
Lotus — the monastery is only a fantasy which comes over me from time to time. More often than not I dream of creating a safe haven for pigs of all sorts. I just love those animals. Dogs a bit more. Pigs are most interesting though — they can live lives of pure muck if they can get it and still remain friendly and vegetarian. I will save them from you souse people!
Whoa now, Steve, I’M not a souse people! Bacon-ham-porkchops-&-roast, yes. Souse, no.
Another “pig’s head” mention…nice job, Lotus-28!!
T’anks, Phantom, but I druther know what to report about these two pigheads’ sentences right now.