Scruggs and Biden Connection

For those of you who don't know who Dickie Scruggs was, and I say was, because he is now serving time in Federal Prison as inmate number 12734-042. Well, he and his co-defendants were indicted last November, and convicted this year on charges of attempting to bribe a Lafayette County judge.

Involved in the scheme were his son, Zachery Scruggs, a practicing attorney with his father's firm, (entering into the Federal Bureau of Prison's system yesterday, August 25th in Pensacola, Florida for a 14th month stint); Timothy Balducci, a former partner of Scruggs, who remains out, as he is providing evidence to the Feds because of "knowing where the bodies are buried"; Sidney Backstrom, inmate # 12737-042 and release date of 8/15/2010, and at the time a law partner of Scrugg's firm; Joey Langston, an attorney and Steve Patterson, the former State Auditor for Mississippi (who incidentally had to resign from office for a little fraud he committed while in office (he was running a car tag on his Land Rover which didn't match the county in which he lived); the two who also remain out until the Feds are through with them.

Well, that's a little background for this post, but more importantly..."What is the Scruggs and Biden Connection?"


Recently noted in the news was the return of campaign contributions made by some of these scurrilous individuals to Joe Biden's run for President. and just days ago, he returned some of the monies to these individuals, or to charities.

In a post on Insurance Coverage Blog, dated August 22, 2008, David Rossmiller, asks that very question.

http://www.insurancecoverageblog.com/archives/industry-developments-biden-gives-back-scruggs-money-does-this-mean-he-will-be-the-veep-nominee.html

Somewhere between dusk and dawn on the 22nd and 23rd, Obama announced Biden as his choice for veep...I only wish I had been a betting man/woman to have made some quick mullah on that one.

Born Far Too Late commented in that very blog, and apparently was witness to Biden's game,

"It wasn't that unusual to see Biden with Joey Langston at his summer home near Pickwick and playing golf at the area course."

Wonder if Joey has sold his winter home in Colorado? But more on that later


On August 20th, Dan Morain of the LA Times, posted in the Top of the Ticket column
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2008/08/biden-giuliani.html

Biden’s July expenses included giving refunds of $2,300 to the man known as Mississippi's best-known attorney, Richard “Dickie” Scruggs, and Scruggs’ son, Zach Scruggs.

Scruggs, a longtime major donor to Democrats nationally and the brother-in-law of Republican Trent Lott, gained fame and wealth by suing asbestos manufacturers and tobacco companies.

His fortunes turned downward in March when he pleaded guilty to conspiring to bribe a judge who handled a suit over how to divide $26.5 million in legal fees from an $89-million settlement over Hurricane Katrina claims. He reported to prison earlier this summer to begin a five-year sentence.

See, even Morain had the edge and could have made money on Biden as the choice for veep.