[Brother in law Scruggs] later represented hundreds of Gulf Coast homeowners -- including Lott -- whose claims were denied by insurance companies in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Lott's home in Pascagoula was destroyed by the storm.

The Indictment(text here, pdf) contains quotes of numerous incriminating telephone conversations. One example:

Between September 27 and November 1, Balducci allegedly made three cash payments to Lackey, returning from the last meeting with a court order favorable to the defendants. "We paid for this ruling; let's be sure it says what we want it to say," Balducci told Zach Scruggs and Backstrom, according to the indictment.

The Judge tipped off the F.B.I. and cooperated, presumably agreeing to tape his calls with the defendants. I suspect the F.B.I. also got a wiretap on Scruggs' or his co-defendants' phones, since there are several calls described in the Indictment that don't involve Judge Lackey.

Getting a wiretap on a law firm's telephone is unusual -- particularly due to the substantial and cumbersome minimization efforts required to ensure that calls of clients and lawyers unrelated to the criminal investigation are not overheard.

It will be interesting to see how Scruggs' and the other defendants decide to defend the case...if it's by challenging a wiretap, the case will probably go on a year or more. If they think their goose is cooked, there will probably be early pleas. And, of course, any one of them could turn on the others in exchange for leniency in his own case. Stay tuned.