Suge Knight’s former attorney Matthew Fletcher pleaded guilty to conspiracy and perjury charges on Wednesday. The former attorney will be barred from practicing law for life.
Prosecutors accused Fletcher of plotting to bribe witnesses so they would lie for Knight when he faced murder charges in 2016. After obtaining a warrant to listen in on jailhouse phone calls between Fletcher and Knight in 2015, prosecutors originally accused the attorney of conspiracy to suborn perjury, obstruct justice, and bribe witnesses. He was also charged as an accessory after the fact in the rap mogul’s case and also faced an unrelated count of bribery in connection with testimony he gave at a disciplinary hearing before the State Bar of California in 2016, per the Los Angeles Times.
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Before a verdict could be reached amongst jurors, a plea deal was in the works, according to Fletcher’s co-counsel, Alexandra Kazarian. The terms of the deal required Fletcher to plead no contest to one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice and one count of perjury. He will also be placed on probation for five years and resign from the state bar for life. Fletcher will be given 90 days to resign or he could face potential jail time. Fletcher would have faced up to four years in prison if convicted as charged.
Knight pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter back in 2018 after killing Terry Carter with his Ford F-150 in Compton. Knight’s legal team claimed the incident was self-defense against armed individuals. Suge’s attorneys Fletcher and Thaddeus Culpepper planned to pay witnesses to say they saw a group of men with guns approach Knight.
Fletcher has yet to respond to the latest updates in his case.