At the end of Steve Patterson’s sentencing, when the issue of report date was about to come up, one of Patterson’s lawyers (Christi McCoy) stated that the prosecution had said that they would be needing Mr. Patterson’s testimony at the March grand jury. The judge noted that the prosecution could use hearsay testimony, which Mr. Norman acknowledged, but made clear he would like to have the live witness. There was an effort made to determine the date (March 23rd) and the court accommodated the request with a March 25th report date.
The issue was raised again in Balducci’s sentencing, and the same report date was set.
It seems that there are further investigations for which these two men are needed before the grand jury.
Who could that grand jury be considering? I presume Peters has his deal, so not him. DeLaughter has been indicted, unless the Feds are looking for a superseding indictment. Balducci and Patterson weren’t involved, that we know, in anything other than Wilson and Jones. “Brief on a napkin” Zach, perhaps?
Somslawyer, I’m thinking Peters doesn’t like the deal he’s been offered so it could be him–he’s the only one listed in Dickie’s factual basis not indicted.
They could be interested in a Lott of folks.
True. Moore than we know, mebbe.
Paul Quinn’s article on the C-L website says: “Balducci has been allowed to remain free so he can testify in a matter involving Hinds County Circuit Judge Bobby DeLaughter.”
So maybe it IS to supercede like Soms-1 said?
p.s. I won’t link the C-L article due to all the imbedded ad snafus.
Here it is. (No prob just linking the story, Phantom. Importing the text can bring the ad code too, though).
5: It’s also about the grand jury and timed in terms of the grand jury.
Who else: Lots of possibilities.
You know, that whole Peters nest of creeps goes back so far, just no telling who or what they’ve run up on.
Nah, The Tobacco Settlement, most of us posting here would never live to see that finished. If Patterson was getting a million dollars ayear, and him a nobody, just who could be uncovered.
It may be a new case, I am sure the USA would look at Hood or maybe Moore. Hood had a meeting with Patterson and Balducci that resulted in Scruggs paying them a $500,000.00 fee for Hood to drop the crinimal case against State Farm. I bet they arn’t sleeping very well. Balducci and Patterson know all about the Worldcom deal.
March Grand Jury: My gut tells me this is going to be all about Katrina and State Farm. However, you have to think about what could Dick do to improve his stock so as to get a pardon from President Obama? Well, whacking the tobacco companies would be a great start. I suspect if he could deliver some body blow to Big Tobacco, Reid, Pelosi, and Waxman would storm the White House and demand a pardon as soon as Obama is either re-elected or defeated in the next election.
Katrina . . . tobacco . . . Katrina . . . tobacco . . . Katrina . . . tobacco . . . Katrina . . . tobacco . . .
Eeenie-meenie, where to turn first?
Y’all are all over the place this afternoon. I don’t think this one is all that hard to figure out:
1. If Peters was going to be indicted on the “Scruggs II” deal, it would have happened already.
2. “A matter involving Hinds County Circuit Judge Bobby DeLaughter” could be Eaton, Kirk, or Middleton.
3. Eaton seems to be the one with the most players involved and the longest paper trail.
Thoughts?
It is Biden.
P.L. Blake?
Anyone out there think that this could reach so far back in time as to grab Ron Motley and crew from the tobacco case?
Catfish, don’t forget asbestos. I think you are spot on. It seems like I remember reading about a federal grand jury in the Southern District of New York investigating the asbestos litigation a while back.
Finally – the first non-rumor indication that the investigation is on-going.
Guess it’s easy to speculate and throw around names but I’m not sure it is the right thing to do. Let’s wait and see what we see. I’d be very surprised if this touches Moore, Hood or Lott.
All I know is that Hood turned pink, then crimson, them purple, with sweat pouring off like rain, in Judge Bramlette’s court, when he was cross-examined about that meeting with Patterson and Balcucci. Now that Patterson and Balducci have taken their lumps, he may be way nervous about what they’re inclined to tell the Grand Jury next week.
About the only names missing here are Jack Abramoff and Karl Rove, and if they were added to this saga tomorrow, I’d be no more surprised than if the Sun rose in the East and set in the West. There’s a lot more yet to be told (no pun intended there).
Paul Quinn: you are uniquely positioned to turn all this into one helluva book.
Lotus- I was not sure where to put this comment. Check out Dick’s quote to the reporter for The Times.
From The New York Times article: “A Lawyer Like A Hurricane” March 16, 2007;
….. Mr. Scruggs completed negotiations on settlements with State Farm worth at least $130 million, setting the pattern, many insurance experts said, for resolving hundreds of other cases and potentially providing hundreds of millions of dollars for rebuilding along the coast.
Mr. Scruggs conceded he has used “every trick in the book” to gain advantage over the insurers.