JURIST - Paper Chase: Former HealthSouth CEO asks court to drop bribery charges

[JURIST] Lawyers for former HealthSouth [corporate website] CEO Richard Scrushy [JURIST news archive] and former state highway director Mack Roberts filed motions Tuesday asking a federal judge to drop charges against them in connection with a racketeering scheme [JURIST report] involving former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman [official profile]. Scrushy faces charges stemming from an incident where he allegedly arranged a $500,000 donation [JURIST report] to Siegelman's lottery campaign in exchange for a seat on the state health board. Lawyers for Scrushy say that the two bribery charges Scrushy faces are "multiplicitous" because he is being tried for multiple offenses for the same transaction, and are asking the judge to either throw out both charges or allow prosecutors to pursue only one bribery charge.

Former State Highway Director Mack Roberts faces mail fraud charges for allegations that he took steps to advance Siegelman's racketeering scheme. Lawyers for Roberts cited several reasons that the charges are not a prosecutable offense, and said that the prosecution did not specify whether Roberts knew about the scheme at the time it took place. Roberts is asking that all charges be dismissed. The prosecution will have until later this month to respond to the motions of dismissal. The Birmingham News has more.

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