NOLA Lawyer Pleads in Referral Payments Case

The Times-Picayune reports that New Orleans attorney Curtis Coney, Jr. compounded problems that arose from his practice of paying "runners" to solicit accident victims when he pressured his secretary to cover-up those payments before a federal grand jury. The secretary was wearing a wire when Coney pressured her, resulting in a plea agreement revealed Wednesday. Coney, 58, pleaded guilty to 10 counts of "structuring" referral payments to hide them from the government and one count of obstruction of justice. The plea is part of a four-year federal investigation of personal injury attorneys.

Posted by AJR at May 16, 2003 07:31 AM