Suge Knight Attorneys Indicted For Allegedly Bribing Witnesses

LOS ANGELES, CA — Two attorneys who previously represented former rap mogul Marion "Suge" Knight during his pending murder case were indicted on charges of conspiring to bribe potential witnesses and obstruct justice, prosecutors announced Monday.

A grand jury returned an indictment against Matthew Fletcher, 53, and Thaddeus Culpepper, 44, on Jan. 24, charging both with one count each of conspiracy to commit bribery, conspiracy to commit subornation of perjury, conspiracy to commit obstruction of justice and accessory after the fact, according to the District Attorney's Office.

Culpepper also faces two other conspiracy counts and a charge that he violated a court order that restricted Knight's phone privileges and prohibited phone calls with three people on the line. Fletcher is charged with one additional count of perjury.

If convicted as charged, Fletcher and Culpepper face a possible maximum sentence of three years and eight months in jail. They are set to be arraigned March 16 in downtown Los Angeles.

A day after the indictment was filed, Fletcher and Culpepper were arrested on suspicion of acting as "accessories after the fact," but both were released the following day.

At that time, a sheriff's spokesman cited the complexities of the case and said the District Attorney's Office was undertaking a further review of the case.

The attorneys appeared in a downtown courtroom Monday. Prosecutors, who recommended $1 million bail in the indictment, sought to hold the pair on $500,000 each, according to the Los Angeles Times. But a judge released them on their own recognizance, a spokesman for the District Attorney's Office said.

Knight, 52, is charged with murder, attempted murder and hit-and-run for using a pickup truck to allegedly run down 55-year-old Terry Carter and Cle "Bone" Sloan in the parking lot of Tam's Burgers in the 1200 block of West Rosecrans Avenue on Jan. 29, 2015. Carter died and Sloan survived his injuries.

Prosecutors said that in the weeks following Knight's arrest, Fletcher tried to pay off potential witnesses. In one instance, he allegedly told Knight it would take about $20,000 to $25,000 to secure his freedom, according to the indictment.

Fletcher also allegedly told Knight that Sloan, the surviving victim, should be paid for his testimony.

In 2016, a confidential informant allegedly told Culpepper he would be willing to testify that he saw weapons at the murder scene, even though the informant wasn't there when the crime occurred, according to the indictment.

"So you weren't there, but you know what's going on?" Culpepper allegedly said to the informant before agreeing with Knight to use the informant as a defense witness at trial.

Both attorneys have denied any wrongdoing.

Some of the "overt acts" alleged in the indictment would seem to point to credible defense witnesses, though the document portrays Knight's attorneys and partner as ready to pay everyone involved for any testimony.

One note indicates that Knight's business partner, Mark Blankenship, texted Knight's fiancee, Toi-Lin Kelly, the day after the alleged murder, saying, "I'm driving with Reggie (Beamon). He saw everything and can exonerate Suge."

Blankenship later paid Beamon $250 and then "put him on the payroll," according to conversations cited in the document.

Fletcher also allegedly texted Blankenship to say, "I have found a (sic) eyewitness ... he says there were multiple guns ... trying to get him to go public ... he's scared ... we are working him hard."

Culpepper told The Times that the indictments were meant to intimidate potential defense witnesses and any references to payment were related to expenses or experts' fees. He said court orders allowing prosecutors to listen to Knight's jailhouse conversations were invalid.

"We are excited to have the opportunity to prove the district attorney's office has committed fraud upon the court and the grand jury from June 27, 2016, to the present date," Culpepper told the newspaper, referencing the date the court first issued such an order.

In separate cases, Knight is accused of robbery and threatening "Straight Outta Compton" director F. Gary Gray.

An August filing by the District Attorney's Office, which initially raised the question of a conspiracy by the attorneys, asked the court to conduct an inquiry into whether Fletcher had a conflict of interest in representing Knight against the threat charges involving Gray.

Culpepper and Fletcher are the latest Knight associates to face criminal charges.

In October, Kelly pleaded no contest to violating a court order by selling video evidence that was under seal. She was sentenced to three years in jail.

Blankenship faces one felony count each of conspiracy to violate a court order, conspiracy to obstruct justice and conspiracy to commit grand theft. A pretrial hearing is set for March 12.

City News Service; Photo: Marion “Suge” Knight, right, and his former attorney Matthew Fletcher laugh during Knight's appearance in court for arraignment on murder charges in Los Angeles Thursday, April 30, 2015. (Kevork Djansezian/Pool Photo via AP)