FORMER U.S. ATTORNEY TO PLEAD GUILTY

Currin will enter Guilty Plea to Money Laundering, Obstruction of Justice, and Tax Charges CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert, Nathan Thomas Gray, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Operations in North Carolina, and Charles Hunter, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation Division, announced that SAMUEL T. CURRIN, formerly the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina (1981-87) and a North Carolina Superior Court Judge (1987-90), has agreed to plead guilty to (1) conspiring to launder through his law firm’s client trust account approximately $1.45 million in proceeds from a massive securities fraud scheme, (2) obstructing the grand jury’s investigation of that securities fraud and money laundering scheme, and (3) obstructing the functions of the IRS by failing to disclose on his tax return an off-shore debit card account he controlled in which thousands of dollars were deposited. Two of these charges are contained in a Bill of Information filed today, while the other charge is contained in a Bill of Indictment previously unsealed in April 2006.

According to the Bill of Information filed today, a group of individuals, including one of CURRIN’s law firm clients, engaged in a massive scheme to fraudulently manipulate the stock prices of several publicly-traded companies through the use of spam e-mail, mass unsolicited facsimiles, Internet search optimization, and voice mail broadcasting. Tens of millions of dollars in proceeds resulted from this scheme. The Bill of Information alleges that CURRIN conspired with others to launder the proceeds of this securities fraud scheme through his law firm’s trust accounts. The Bill of Information alleges that Currin received in excess of $240,000 as a result of his role in this conspiracy.

Also in the Bill of Information it is alleged that CURRIN formed an Anguillan company and opened a debit card account in the name of that company at a foreign bank. CURRIN then received thousands of dollars into that account but failed to disclose either the account or the income deposited therein on his 2004 federal individual income tax return.

In a separate Bill of Indictment, it is alleged that, in December 2005, CURRIN was subpoenaed to testify before a grand jury investigating the above-described securities fraud and money laundering scheme. Prior to his appearance before the grand jury, CURRIN conspired with Raleigh attorney R. Shawn Wellons to withhold documents from and provide false testimony to the grand jury regarding the possession of certain documents. As agreed, CURRIN and Wellons then appeared before the grand jury and each gave perjured testimony in response to questions posed to them. Among other things, CURRIN falsely denied having any off-shore business dealings.

Pursuant to a plea agreement filed today, CURRIN has agreed to plead guilty to each of these three charges. CURRIN faces a maximum sentence of forty-three (43) years imprisonment on the three counts to which he is pleading guilty. Any sentence received upon conviction will be influenced by the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which the Court consults in order to determine each defendant’s actual sentence based upon a formula that takes into account the severity and characteristics of the offense and each defendant’s criminal history, if any. Of course, defendants in criminal cases are entitled to a presumption of innocence, and the Government has the burden of proving all charges beyond a reasonable doubt.

U.S. Attorney Shappert credits the FBI and IRS-CID with leading the investigation that resulted in the filing of these charges. U.S. Attorney Shappert credits the Securities & Exchange Commission for its investigation, which led ultimately to the filing of certain of these charges. The Government is represented in this matter by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew T. Martens and Kurt W. Meyers of the U.S. Attorney’s Criminal Division in Charlotte. CURRIN is represented by Mark T. Calloway, Esq. of Charlotte, North Carolina.

Samuel T. Currin, Esq.
DOB: 12/13/48
Address: Raleigh, NC