Two of Suge Knight‘s former attorneys have been arrested.
Per reports, Los Angeles based lawyers Matthew Fletcher and Thaddeus Culpepper were arrested on Thursday on warrants claiming they were accessories after the fact to a felony. Spokeswoman Nicole Nishida has since confirmed that the Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies handled the arrests, but provided little detail about the specifics surrounding the warrants.
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It’s said Fletcher was arrested around 2 p.m. and was taken into custody at the Long Beach Courthouse. Law enforcers have stated that the 53-year-old was being held in lieu of $1-million bail. As for Culpepper, Nishida revealed he was booked at his home around 5 p.m.
Although authorities have yet to confirm whether or not Fletcher and Culpepper’s arrests are in connection with Knight’s pending legal troubles, they have been previously accused of witness tampering in the rap impresario’s murder case. In August, Los Angeles County prosecutors filed a 22-page document which laid out claims against Fletcher, Culpepper, Knight, and others for discussing bribes and potential witness intimidation.
Specifically, transcripts of recorded conversations showed that the two lawyers allegedly discussed fabricating a testimony. It also suggested Suge tried to pay off potential eyewitnesses with the help of his legal counsel. Bribery talk is said to have come up in a series of 2015 prison phone calls between Suge, Fletcher, Knight’s fianc├â┬⌐e, his business partner, etc.
Fletcher is one of many attorneys who have represented Knight since he’s gone behind bars. In case you forgot, Suge was charged with murder and attempted murder after a fatal hit and run incident. The rap mogul has pled not guilty to the crimes and is slated to go on trial later this year.
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Apparently, the people on the phone call are also heard discussing payments of as much as $25,000 to witnesses so they’d say others at the scene of the crime were armed. During one phone chat, Fletcher is heard saying he’d “pay anything” to bikers who were at the scene. He added:
“If we can get the two or three versions from the bikers on tape and we can get … we’re done. It’s going home time. Right? That’s a fair … investment, you know, 20, 25 thousand dollars.”
As for Culpepper, he’s been accused of reaching out to a sheriff’s department informant. It’s believed he offered to pay the person an impressive sum to give a testimony favorable for the defendant.
Both legal experts denied the accusations.
Stay tuned for more information as we’re certain this isn’t the last we’ve heard about this controversy!
[Image via WENN.]
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