Alabama House Speaker Mike Hubbard and associates – including former Gov. Bob Riley — received leaked information related to the Lee County corruption investigation starting December 2012, according to court documents filed this week by State prosecutors.
These new revelations by the State make it clear the defense was the sole beneficiary of the leaks.
Although earlier emails outlined the moneymaking schemes while he was Speaker, new disclosures show Hubbard, Riley and his son, Birmingham attorney Rob Riley, received regular updates on the status of the Grand Jury investigations. The leaks came from an individual inside the attorney general’s office.
E-mails between Hubbard and Riley filed with the court suggest the source of the leaks was Deputy AG Sonny Reagan, whose office was adjacent to that of Chief Prosecutor Matt Hart.
In December 2014, Reagan resigned his post after it became public that he shared secret grand-jury information with those targeted by investigators.
The initial exchange between Riley and Hubbard came only one day after Bill Armistead, then Alabama Republican Party Chair, announced a Grand Jury was investigating Hubbard for corruption.
In the announcement, Armistead said the Grand Jury subpoenaed the ALGOP for information regarding Hubbard’s time as chair. The next day, Hubbard and Riley exchanged communications, revealing leaks came from the office of Attorney General Luther Strange.
“Gov: Talk with Rob [Riley] when you can. Armistead and Luther have now teamed up to try to ruin me politically,” said one of the emails entered into evidence. “Not sure what Luther’s end game is other than he views me as a potential threat down the road. Rob knows details.”
Riley responded that he “was with him [Rob] during the conversations with you [Hubbard] and Sonny [Reagan] last night. Have a couple of people trying to understand what’s happening.”
“Armistead is evil,” Hubbard also writes, “and I guess so is Luther.”
Hubbard asserted that Strange’s investigation was politically motivated, a claim proven false after Strange recused himself from the prosecution team.
Instead of being fired, Reagan was allowed to resign after Strange said he “forged relationships with persons, outside the Office of Attorney General, who had an interest in undermining the Lee County Special Grand Jury’s investigation,” reports AL.com.
For some time, the relationship between Reagan and those under investigation have been rather close.
Reagan shared attorneys with both Rep. Barry Moore and Hubbard. Bill Baxley, Moore’s attorney, also represents Reagan. Rob Riley also worked for Reagan and Hubbard.
