Dickie Scruggs

On June 27, 2008, Mississippi attorney Richard "Dickie" Scruggs was sentenced to 5 years in prison for his involvement in a plot to bribe a circuit court judge. Scruggs was also ordered to pay a $250,000 fine as well as the costs of his incarceration.¹ On July 2, 2008, Scruggs' son, Zach Scruggs was sentenced to 14 months in prison for knowing about the bribery but failing to report the crime to officials.²

Fast Facts

1. Born: Mississippi
2. Trent Lott's brother-in-law
3. Attended University of Mississippi
4. Charged with conspiracy to "corruptly influence a state circuit court judge"³
5. Received the maximum sentence for the crime

The Crime

In March of 2008, attorney Richard "Dickie" Scruggs plead guilty of attempting to bribe a judge in a case involving the division of attorney's fees for Hurricane Katrina litigation. Scruggs, his son Zach Scruggs, and other lawyers from his firm were indicted in November of 2007 for conspiring to pay Judge Henry Lackey $40,000 in exchange for a favorable ruling. ⁴

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