Group of N.C. Attys Busted on Bizarre Drunk Driving Case Scheme

On Monday, a band of Johnston County, North Carolina lawyers pleaded guilty to criminal charges of fixing a slew of drunk driving cases in order to make them disappear. The strangest thing – most of those involved in the scam didn’t really get anything out of it.

The main characters in the case are former prosecutor Cindy Jaeger, a handful of local attorneys, and a deputy Superior Court clerk. Prosecutors say that, with Jaeger’s help, the lawyers and clerk wiped away drunk driving charges for dozens of defendants. Right before Jaeger resigned, she was “bombarded” with requests for dismissals, which she agreed to grant for her friends (the charged attorneys), but only if they filed the dismissals after she resigned. The clerk involved in the scheme later entered the dismissals, overlooking the incongruous dates.

Perhaps oddly, the drunk driving clients did not pay a premium for this service – many did not even know they had been granted a favor. No one involved in the scheme got rich or benefited from special benefits or promotions. And yet, the penalties could not be more harsh – two of the lawyers, Chad Lee and Lee Hatch, have surrendered their law licenses as they head to prison for about four years. Two others are forbidden from taking criminal cases and are serving three years’ probation. The clerk, also on probation, lost her job and retirement pay. Jaeger still faces charges – she will be tried in the coming months.