Former General Sessions Judge Casey Moreland
Former judge Casey Moreland was indicted by a federal grand jury on Wednesday and faces up to 80 years in prison if convicted on all five counts.
Moreland is accused of witness tampering, obstruction of an official proceeding, destroying or falsifying records, obstruction of a criminal investigation and conspiracy to retaliate against a witness. The first three charges carry a maximum sentence of 20 years while the last two carry 10-year maximums. Each count has a maximum fine of $250,000.
Moreland's relationship with Natalie Amos, the witness he allegedly tried to tamper with, was first reported in a Scene story about his trip to Alabama with Leigh Terry, attorney Bryan Lewis and others. Moreland denied a relationship with Amos to the Scene, but was later revealed to have had an extensive sexual relationship with her. Following stories by the Scene and WSMV, an investigation by the FBI alleges that Moreland attempted to bribe Amos to change her statements about their relationship. The indictment also claims that Moreland participated in a scheme to plant drugs on Amos to discredit her as a witness.
Moreland was arrested last month. He stepped down from the bench as part of an agreement with the U.S. attorney's office over his pre-trial release from jail.
Here's the full copy of the indictment.Â
