Legal Ethics
2 Ex-Judges, 1 Attorney Indicted in Georgia Corruption Case
Posted Jul 18, 2008, 01:13 pm CDT
By Martha Neil
Two former state-court judges--one of them, until recently, a chief judge--as well as an attorney and a court administrator have been indicted in Georgia, in a federal case over state judicial corruption.
The indictments today were by a federal grand jury that has been probing claimed corruption in the Alapaha Judicial Circuit, in southern Georgia, writes the Daily Report (reg. req.).
Charged were Brooks Blitch III, formerly chief judge of the Alapaha Circuit, who resigned in May after 28 years on the bench; Berrien Sutton, a part-time juvenile court judge and former state court judge in Clinch County who also resigned from the bench this year; his wife, Lisa Sutton, court administrator of the Alapaha Circuit; attorney George Bessonette; and a fifth individual, Hayward Collier. Blitch is expected to be arraigned in Macon this afternoon.
Although a lawyer for Blitch told the Daily Report that he didn't then know the charges against Blitch, who was arrested this morning, the Fort Mill Times indicates that Blitch faces fraud, conspiracy and extortion charges "in an indictment alleging widespread corruption."
An Atlanta Journal-Constitution article earlier this month says previous federal court filings allege that Blitch helped his former law partner, Berrien Sutton, and Sutton's wife, get their court positions in exchange for legal services.
"In those jobs, the Suttons were paid $537,000 over several years," the newspaper writes, citing court filings. "Although each received substantial pay for those positions, (Lisa) Sutton and (Berrien) Sutton either performed a minimal amount of work, or none at all."
Earlier coverage
ABAJournal.com: "Ga. Chief Judge is Unindicted Co-Conspirator"
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Comments
Posted by coffee drinker - 2 months, 2 weeks, 3 days, 15 hours, 28 minutes ago
There are some newspaper articles about “Operation Wrinkled Robe”. It looked like maybe funding was lost and then restored.
Posted by 2nd cup of coffee - 2 months, 2 weeks, 3 days, 15 hours, 22 minutes ago
I looked at the related earlier article
“Ga. Chief Judge is Unindicted Co-Conspirator”
and saw that no comments were posted on that article at all.
Posted by caffeine user - 2 months, 2 weeks, 3 days, 15 hours, 13 minutes ago
Old judges think they can always retire if they are under too much scrutiny.
Posted by reader - 2 months, 2 weeks, 3 days, 9 hours, 27 minutes ago
did they look at his record in civil cases also?
Posted by dk - 2 months, 2 weeks, 3 days, 3 hours, 8 minutes ago
time to look at Massachusetts and we will find the same thing going on. question is why does this take so long to uncover and why is everyone so afraid of exposing judicial and legal corruption??? we are paying these people with tax dollars and they are criminals who are ruining honest and innocent people’s lives for favors to their buddies. what happened to democracy and what we fought for when the pilgrims left england for the USA only a couple of hundred years agon???? in such a short time we have twisted the constitution to serve the criminal politicians once again.
Posted by Guesswhotoo6 - 2 months, 2 weeks, 2 days, 17 hours, 10 minutes ago
Massachusetts courts, especially the family courts are a new standard set for corruption. In Ma. anything goes, destruction of court transcripts, extortion, false testimony, ex-parte communication, jailing people without hearings, you name it. It happens every day. Forget about your rights, in Massachusetts, you do not have any. The black robbed crooks do just about anything they wish. Just bring your checkbook! Whatever you do, do not get married in Ma. and if your already hooked with that contract, do not get divorced here.
Posted by kay sieverding - 2 months, 2 weeks, 2 days, 13 hours, 55 minutes ago
60 minutes Lesley Stahl did an expose of family court in New York. There a man filed for custody of his children. The woman was told it would cost her $9 K each to keep each child. She went to the D.A. who wire her. The D.A. put a hidden video camera in the judge’s office. 60 minutes broadcast actual film of the lawyer paying the judge cash in his office and the judge counting it. Reportedly the judge was arrested in the parking lot with the cash in his pocket.