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Kentucky Lawyer Pleads Guilty in Massive Disability Scheme

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LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A Kentucky lawyer accused of conspiring to defraud the government of nearly $600 million in federal disability payments has entered a guilty plea.

Eric C. Conn pleaded guilty Friday to stealing from the Social Security Administration and bribing a federal judge. The flamboyant lawyer billed himself as “Mr. Social Security” while building one of the nation’s most lucrative disability firms in eastern Kentucky.

Federal prosecutors claimed Conn raked in millions of dollars by paying a doctor and a judge to rubber-stamp false disability claims using phony medical evidence.

Conn pleaded guilty to one count of theft of government money and one count of payment of gratuities. His sentencing was set for July 14.

Attorneys for Conn did not immediately respond to calls seeking comment.