NMC: Rumblings [UPDATED X 2]

This website moved Sunday, Feb. 10, to a new address - http://www.folo.us. Please go to http://www.folo.us to enter your comment! Thanks. 

UPDATED BELOW (X 2)

There are rumblings out of Oxford that the prosecutor’s factual predicate for Steve Patterson’s guilty plea (that is, the facts they said they would prove to support the guilty plea) contains a lot of interesting news.  Watch this space for updates.

UPDATE: Just in [1:30PM/E] from Alyssa to lotus:

I was not able to take the document home. They just let me look at it and write it down. Having to be in another courtroom in 15 minutes, I wrote fast and furious. Some things have been left out. Some things are ineligible in my notes. An AP reporter read the report as well and I’m sure he will be printing some of it some time today. Keep in mind, these are the “facts” as presented by the government and what they claim they can prove at a trial. Defense attorneys will argue these “facts.” Scruggs’ attorney John Keker said today that what Norman read was only the government’s case and not actual “facts.”

My story will be online in about an hour.

*****************

After the Jones lawsuit was filed in March, Richard Scruggs asked Balducci to speak to Lackey, knowing they had been friends a long time, to explore the possibility of corruptly influencing the judge.

On Sept. 21, Lackey tested Balducci and asked for $40,000. Balducci placed a four minute phone call to the Scruggs Firm and asked Sydney Backstrom if they could cover the $40,000.

Sept. 27, Balducci delivered the first installment of $20,000 to Lackey.

Sept. 28, Patterson and Balducci spoke … P.L. Blake who had gotten out of the meeting that Patterson asked him to have. Balducci asked Patterson to call P.L. for details. Patterson called back and related to Balducci that P.L. has in fact met with Scruggs and “he knows it’s going to be 40.” Patterson assured Balducci that P.L. was confident that Scruggs would take care of Patterson and Balducci. “We got your horse sold.”

Oct. 7, Balducci called Patterson at about 5:48 p.m. Patterson told Balducci that he had just talked to P.L. and that Patterson would be meeting the “guy in Oxford” tomorrow. Patterson assured Balducci that the “guy in Oxford” was expecting a call.

On Oct. 8, Balducci called Patterson. Patterson indicated that he was about to call Scruggs. In a second telephone conversation, Balducci and Patterson discussed the firm’s financial problems. Patterson assured Balducci “we got 40 coming from Scruggs.”

Oct. 10, Patterson called Balducci and informed Balducci he needed to know when the “order” was going to be signed by Lackey. Patterson said P.L. needed to know.

Balducci is expected to testify that around Oct. 16, Balducci and Patterson were in Oxford and spoke to Scruggs who said, “I know y’all have talked to P.L. and I have talked to P.L. everything fine. Y’all are going to be covered.”

Two days later, Balducci delivered another $10,000 to Lackey. Scruggs called and asked about the order.

Nov. 1, Balducci delivers last $10,000.

UPDATE II: Alyssa’s and the AP’s stories on Patterson’s plea (both with pix, the Eagle’s on the homepage instead of with the story). I right like your lede, Alyssa: “Two down, three to go.” Had a much bigger laff over Steve’s “I stand here a blessed man,” I’ll own.