Judge Pleads Guilty To Scheming To Plant Drugs

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A former Tennessee judge pleaded guilty Thursday to corruption charges including scheming to have drugs planted on a woman after he was investigated for helping her with her legal trouble in exchange for sex.

Cason "Casey" Moreland pleaded guilty to federal charges of obstruction of justice and theft, U.S. Attorney Donald Cochran's office said.

The Nashville judge's downfall began after a woman went to the media in February 2017. She said they'd had a sexual relationship, and that he had helped her with fines and fees related to a DUI charge, and intervened during a traffic stop to get her out of a ticket, court documents show.

Moreland, 60, admitted to trying to get the woman to sign an affidavit recanting her public statements; plotting with someone to plant drugs in her car so that she would be arrested, damaging her credibility; and trying to buy the woman off, the documents show.

Moreland also admitted to embezzling funds from the drug court program that he ran, the statement from Cochran's office said. That drug court program received federal money to help addicts.

The former judge will be sentenced in August.

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press.