Yall Politics

2 former Miss. judges to report to prison Thursday for bribery

2 former Miss. judges to report to prison Thursday for bribery

Two former judges report to federal prison Thursday to begin serving lengthy sentences for their roles in a judicial bribery scandal that entangled one of the state's most prominent plaintiffs attorneys.

Former Circuit Judge John Whitfield and former Chancery Judge Wes Teel, both of Harrison County on the Mississippi coast, were convicted in March of bribery and mail fraud.

Whitfield, 45, was sentenced to more than nine years. Teel, 57, was sentenced to almost six years.

Paul Minor, who was convicted of bribing the judges, is already serving an 11-year sentence in a federal prison in Tallahassee, Fla. The 61-year-old Minor was once considered among the top trial lawyers in Mississippi, amassing a fortune from tobacco, asbestos and other litigation.

Clarion Ledger
12/26/7

Posted December 26, 2007 - 3:53 pm

10 Comments:

Could be ole’ Minor may be having company over soon. They can chat a bit about their ‘briefs’. Didn’t my man Scruggs testify in that little shindig? Think so..........

Posted by jman on 12-26-2007 at 06:08 PM [link]

Yes, that’s right. Scruggs did testify against Minor for the feds and a grant of immunity. Maybe, Minor will want to be neighborly, and return the favor.

Posted by lawdoctor1960 on 12-27-2007 at 07:02 AM [link]

Don’t ya know Master Minor,esq. is laughing his arse off right about now down in Talle?!

Posted by jman on 12-27-2007 at 07:20 AM [link]

Slight correction Law Doc . . . Scruggs testified in the Minor trial and was offered immunity, but didn’t accept it. It was a strange set of circumstances, but I am 95%+ sure that he did not testify with immunity in place. Of course, we are redefining strange on an hourly basis with this case.

Posted by Alan on 12-27-2007 at 10:59 AM [link]

Was Minor originally sentenced to more than 11 years? Did he get some shaved or am I just wishful thinking?

Posted by ccvz on 12-27-2007 at 04:36 PM [link]

Maybe so. I thought he had it, but I was going from memory and you may very well be right. Considering how many people were asking why he wasn’t charged along with Minor, it would have been strange for him not to have asked for it. Maybe, they didn’t ask any really tough questions, or he already knew he wasn’t going to get charged in the southern district, no matter what.

Posted by lawdoctor1960 on 12-27-2007 at 04:45 PM [link]

http://www.harpers.org/archive/2007/12/hbc-90001998

Article from Scott Horton in Harpers about Teel.

Posted by Fyodor1 on 12-27-2007 at 05:24 PM [link]

But this appears to be another case in which prosecutors have very creatively spun campaign finance practices into something criminal.

I’m sure he is going to write a column defending Tom Delay using this same logic.

How many other Democrats and Republicans have been convicted of campaign finance practices?

Hmmm..... so taking money from someone who has a strong financial interest is merely a “creatively spun campaign finance practice”

As sloppy as he is perhaps he should move up to the NY Times or CNN.

Posted by kingfish on 12-27-2007 at 05:34 PM [link]

Wasn’t there some attorney in New Orleans that Minor wanted to funnel money? The attorney knew this was a bad scheme and left the meal he and Minor were having. It was a repayment of a loan to one of the judges. If this stuff was all above board, why did Minor need intermediaries to pay back the loans?

Posted by Fyodor1 on 12-27-2007 at 05:41 PM [link]

Teel is the perfect example of someone who has been doing something wrong for so long, he has come to believe that it must be right, or he wouldn’t be doing it.

Calling bribes “loans” is what used to be called, “polishing a turd”.

Posted by lawdoctor1960 on 12-27-2007 at 05:58 PM [link]

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