Fresh from the New York Times:
A lawyer has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to bribe a judge and is assisting federal prosecutors in a case involving one of the nation’s wealthiest trial lawyers, according to court documents.
The lawyer, Timothy R. Balducci, entered the plea late Tuesday after initially pleading not guilty.
According to court papers, Mr. Balducci was accused of delivering $40,000 to a judge at the behest of a prominent lawyer, Richard F. Scruggs, for a favorable ruling in a civil case.
The article quotes another attorney at the Scruggs’ firm as speculating that Balducci cut a deal, something that David Rossmiller has been suggesting for a few days.