Hamilton County: Brock brothers plead guilty in bribery case

After being charged three years ago with several felonies in connection with the bribery of a court clerk, the former operators of one of Hamilton County’s largest bonding companies pleaded guilty Monday to lesser charges.

Authorities originally charged Mike and Jerry Brock with conspiracy to commit bribery of a public servant. Authorities charged Jerry Brock with an additional three counts of bribing a public servant.

All those charges were felonies and carried considerable jail time, but by pleading guilty to lesser charges the pair now face lighter sentences.

The Brocks’ legal troubles stemmed from what authorities said was a conspiracy to gain influence over former Deputy Court Clerk Scott Simcox from 2001 to 2003.

In exchange for bribes, authorities said, Mr. Simcox removed bail jumpers’ names from the court’s computer system, which allowed the Brocks to avoid paying forfeitures ordered by the court.

Mike Brock avoided a felony record altogether by pleading guilty to one count of tampering with government records, a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail.

His brother, Jerry Brock, pleaded guilty to one charge of bribing a public official and faces up to three years in prison.

The Hamilton County district attorney’s office dropped the conspiracy charges against the brothers but declined to comment on the reason. The Brocks are scheduled to be sentenced at separate hearings in December.

The Brocks’ defense attorneys also did not comment on the case, but two character witnesses for Mike Brock testified in court Monday about their longtime friend.

“I think he’s changed a lot in the last few years,” said friend Bill Hughes, who had traveled to Chattanooga from Pensacola, Fla., to testify.

He testified that he was “surprised” that Mike Brock ever could have gotten himself into such a criminal situation.

Mr. Simcox resigned in 2004 and pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of conspiracy to commit extortion. He received a four-month federal prison term.

He still is charged in state court with conspiracy to bribe a public official, but that case is not yet resolved.

The Brock brothers also were charged in federal court with conspiracy to commit extortion and mail fraud stemming from the same allegations. Convicted in 2005, they appealed their case and a federal appeals court eventually remanded it back to U.S. District Court in Chattanooga for further proceedings.

A federal judge dismissed those charges against both brothers earlier this year.