LOS ANGELES — Marion "Suge" Knight's former attorney pleaded guilty to conspiracy and perjury charges Wednesday and will be barred from practicing law for life after prosecutors accused him of plotting to bribe witnesses so they would lie for the rap mogul when he faced murder charges in 2016.
Prosecutors originally accused Matthew Fletcher, 57, of conspiracy to suborn perjury, obstruct justice and bribe witnesses after obtaining a warrant to listen in on jailhouse phone calls between the attorney and Knight in 2015. He also was charged as an accessory after the fact in Knight's case and faced an unrelated count of bribery in connection with testimony he gave at a disciplinary hearing before the State Bar of California in 2016.
Jurors began weighing the charges against Fletcher earlier this week following a two-month trial, but a plea deal started to come together Wednesday morning before a verdict could be reached, according to Fletcher's co-counsel, Alexandra Kazarian.
