What really happened?

When Judge Henry Lackey testified about how he helped catch the Scruggs bribe conspirators he said, before going to the Federal government, he went to Lon Stallings local assistant District Attorney for advice.

During Lackey's testimony he said he did not go to Hood after Stallings told him Hood said Richard Scruggs and former AG Mike Moore threatened Hood not to proceed with a criminal investigation into State Farm over Hurricane Katrina. They threatened to fund and support a new candidate for attorney general, Lackey said.

Moore was in the courtroom when Lackey testified and said he had to do a "double take" when he heard Lackey say that. Moore, attorney for Zach Scruggs had sent his investigator Bill East to talk to Stallings about when Lackey reported the bribe, but Stallings did not tell East about how Hood had been threatened, both Moore and Stallings said.

Stallings added he did not know East was working with Moore.

Moore took that to mean Stallings never said that to Lackey. However Stallings did tell Lackey (when they met) he thought Hood was being threatened.

An email sent by Lee Martin, an attorney in Moore's office, to Moore during Tuesday's hearing says "I talked to Bill, and Lon Stallings did not say anything about such a conversation with Hood or Lackey. During Lackey's conversation with Lon - Lon suggested they get the Attorney General’s office involved."


Stallings did suggest that Lackey get "wired up" by Roger Cribbs, an investigator for Hood, but Lackey said he did not trust anyone from Hood's office, because he was too close with Scruggs and Moore, Stallings said they might not be as close as you'd think. This is when Stallings told Lackey about Hood being threatened.

Stallings, after speaking with Hood, felt that Moore and Scruggs had threatened to back a different candidate for attorney general, Stallings said.

Lackey decided to go to The Federal government to avoid Hood.

After investigating, the FBI caught Tim Balducci on tape bribing Lackey and eventually got all 5 co-conspirators to plead guilty.

Lackey's testimony came during a hearing about the case the conspirators tried to bribe him over.

The North East Mississippi Journal (Daily Journal) reported that Stallings sent a text message to Moore during court Tuesday. The message said Lackey was not telling the truth. The reporter was actually looking at the email sent by Martin to Moore and mistakenly thought it was from Stallings, Moore said.

Stallings was offended by the false reports, saying "The judge is not a liar." Stallings and Lackey know each other from Calhoun City and Stallings worried these reports might be seen by "the folks" back home.

Moore "categorically" denied ever threatening Hood.

"If anyone ever suggested to me they were going to run anyone against Hood I would have been on the other side (with Hood)," Moore said.