NEMS360.com - News, Business, Classifieds, and Events in Northeast Mississippi: "In the new court filing, which will be posted electronically Thursday, he also accuses:
- Tony Farese, prominent Ashland lawyer, of secretly negotiating a plea bargain with prosecutors for then-Booneville plaintiffs attorney Joey Langston’s cooperation against Zach and his father, Richard Scruggs, while Farese was Zach’s attorney in late 2007.
- The U.S. government and the FBI of creating the judicial bribery scheme, which led to indictments against him, his father, a law partner and two others Nov. 28, 2007. And prosecutors, who allegedly lied to the court that Zach Scruggs was part of another judicial bribery accusation involving Judge Bobby DeLaughter of Hinds County.
- Judge Henry Lackey of Calhoun City of allowing himself to be used by the government for months to set up the attempted bribery, rather than deciding whether the lawsuit against Scruggs and others should go to arbitration or let another judge decide.
Zach Scruggs “committed no federal crime,” the motion states. “Indeed, as will be explained, he is actually innocent of all charges.”"
