Indicted Hattiesburg attorney Cory Ferreaz will be going back to jail after he failed to appear in Forrest County Circuit Court this morning.
Special Circuit Judge Forrest Johnson scheduled a status conference. hearing. Everyone who was supposed to be there was there except for Ferraez.
Judge Johnson recounted the history of the case. He acknowledged it been on the docket for several years and that was just the way it had worked out as it was "nobody's fault."
Ferraez was absent from the courtroom.
Moving on to the matter at hand, Judge Johnson said Ferraez attorney Scott Schwartz told him yesterday that his client "was in a facility in Alabama." Schwartz said he did not know how long his client would be in the facility.
Judge Johnson set Ferraez's trial date for March 23, 2026 before addressing the issue of "Mr. Ferraez not being here. It is what it is."
"I would say my curiosity is aroused when something happens fortuitous such as this one but the Court does have serious concerns about the defendant, Cory Ferraez, not appearing before this Court," said Judge Johnson. The judge was troubled that Ferraez "removed himself from the State of Mississippi for an unknown period of time."
The Court ordered Ferraez to report immediately to the Forrest County Sheriff within 24 hours after he left the "facility" as he temporarily revoked his bail. Once in custody, Judge Johnson will hold a bond hearing for the defendant.
Synopsis of Case
A Forrest County grand jury indicted attorney Corey Ferraez in October 2021 for embezzlement by attorney, conspiracy to obtain signature with intent to defraud, and mail/wire fraud. Corey's twin brother Jace was also indicted for conspiracy to obtain signature with intent to defraud.
The story begins when Corey was a partner at the Holmes, McLelland, & Farraez law firm. As so many lawyers do, Corey and his firm divorced. The lawyer was "obligated to pay the firm, now McHard, McHard, Anderson, and Associates, PLLC 20% of all attorneys fees in cases included in the settlement agreement.
The list of cases included the representation of Shawn Vaughn. Corey represented Vaughn in a personal injury lawsuit as well as her Chapter 13 bankruptcy petition. Corey settled Vaughn's lawsuit for $650,000. The attorney's fees were $260,000. Thus Corey allegedly owe $52,000 to his former firm. However, the indictment claims he had other ideas.
Count I accuses Corey of filing a bogus lien against the bankruptcy estate on behalf of MMAA for $52,000 in March 2020. The bankruptcy court approved payment of the lien. Thus Corey managed to pay his former law firm by sticking his client with the bill, forcing her to pay $312,000 in attorney's fees.
The case has had a rather curious history. All twelfth circuit court judges recused themselves. The Mississippi Supreme Court appointed Special Circuit Judge Forrest Johnson to hear the case. The Court appointed then-Fourteenth District Attorney Dee Bates to prosecute the case. However, Bates retired and the current District Attorney, Brendan Adams, withdrew from the case in April 2024, claiming his caseload was too great.
Judge Johnson appointed Madison-Rankin District Attorney Bubba Bramlett to prosecute the case in July 2025. Bramlett assigned the case to Assistant District Attorney Ashley Allen.
35 comments:
He's working on a "it's not my fault because I am an addict" defense. Addicts like to think that they are a protected class, just like, well, others.
How many times are the powers that be going to let a “fellow” attorney keep pulling these insulting stunts? If anything these judges should hold these lawyers more responsible rather than to allow them to flitter to and fro. I would have at least thought he would have been restricted to the state (Mississippi)
KF, you need to post these updates under the "Idiot of the Day" section.
That criminal case sat around forever and now they are gonna schedule some bullshit court appearance while he’s in rehab? Sorry, ya’ll had years to do that.
It's not his fault if he is locked in the "rubber room" at rehab.
Out on bail and leaves the state without obtaining permission first?
How does that usually end?
Hey KF, Cory Ferreaz is innocent till proven guilty dawg. Quit trying to convict him before he’s had a fair trial.
Is this guy a junkie? His behavior is screaming junkie at this point.
Pretty sure nothing but quotes and facts are being reported. It's not KF's fault if those two things just happen to make Cory look like a f**king scumbag liar.
Looks like Cory has a supporter posting on his behalf pretending to be multiple different posters.
Hi Cory!
Where is Judge Roy Bean when you need him?
The real dawg is the guy who steals the legal settlements from his clients!
to 3:51.......oh, i get it.........you want a ''fair trial'' for this punk so the ''truth'' can come out.
right now the ''truth'' is the last thing little cory needs .
strap that one on dawg.
Lmao Cory indicted himself in the Court of Public Opinion.
Strong 'Todd Mardis is a good guy' and 'beta cuck' energy again!
I'm no Cory supporter but as a lawyer of many years, I think courts should spend more time conducting trials and less time taking roll. I looked at Ferreaz's criminal case and he was ROR 'd on November 22, 2021 (doc. no 6). That's the only mention of bail. If he's really in a rehab in Alabama, that should excuse him from roll call today. The court only set roll call (aka a "status conference") two days ago. Like I said, the state completely failed the public in the delay of this case. Now that there's been all this publicity, they just want to pile it on. It's just stupid. I'm sick of the way courts waste our time. Doctors don't spend half the week scheduling appointments. That's considered clerical work.
Hi Cory, thanks for checking in from rehab.
6:03, I hear what you're saying, and I don't disagree.
But he was let off house arrest last week by the chancery court, and it appears that he may not have made any attempts to get the help that he so obviously needs until the day before he had to appear on an indictment.
It would have been better for him if he was already 2-3 months into rehab, and the court had been getting regular updates from his inpatient treatment counselor.
Some people may go to detox, or a 30-day to try to game the system. But 3-6 months is a long time to keep up the facade, if someone is really not willing to change and is just going through the motions to try to get out of trouble.
Someone mentioned Todd Mardis. He was facing serious prison time, and all he would agree to was a few weeks at a health spa. He ultimately chose to bet his future on his own ability to tamper with the state's witnesses, and now he's doing 20 years. If he had it do over again, without knowing the outcome, I bet he would make the exact same choice.
So let Corey go to rehab, and let the judge see what he does with the opportunity.
I'll add that Corey's victims stand a much better chance of eventually getting paid back if he finds meaningful recovery.
Can't the young man keep a calendar?
Great movie.
I get that they use roll call to make sure defendants on bail haven’t absconded (still a miserable waste of time), but this charade of caring that justice gets done in the criminal case? F:;k ‘em! If Cory is in a rehab, who cares if he shows up for stupid roll call in a case where bail was never an issue and no one cared to prosecute it. He isn’t going to trial immediately. Who cares if he’s in rehab for a month or two or even six while waiting for trial. It’s stupid.
Maybe Cory can appraise shanks and vintage commissary items in prison.
He needs to join the Barlow law firm. They look like the are both “down” for that.
Appears Cory has good internet access at the undisclosed facility in Alabama….
LMAO!!!
Judge Johnson acknowledged it been on the docket for several years.
Ferraez attorney Scott Schwartz says his client "was in a facility in Alabama" but does not know for how long.
But hey, at least Judge Johnson has “serious concerns” about Ferraez not appearing before the Court, and he’s “troubled” that Ferraez "removed himself from the State of Mississippi.
All twelfth circuit court judges had recused themselves.
The court appointed then-Fourteenth District Attorney Dee Bates to prosecute the case, but Bates retired.
District Attorney, Brendan Adams, withdrew from the case (poor thing, case load too big.)
I don’t know anything thing about this case other than what’s been posted here, and haven’t read anywhere close to all of it. But you can sure smell that “lawyer, judge, legal system” stink, can’t you? A stink kind of reminiscent of the November 2007 smell, maybe?
P.S. 3:24 PM, these aren’t idiot moves. These are lawyer, judges, legal system moves.
P.S. 6:03 PM said: “I'm sick of the way courts waste our time” and 9:38 PM said “miserable waste of time;” so, looks like we have an honest lawyer up in here!
"Roll call" It's another mechanism to create more billable hours. Cha-ching.
I'll bite. That's me posting. Lawyer of 37 years. Being honest has been nothing but detrimental to my career. If you practice criminal law in Hinds County, you spend all your time in roll call. That's why I stick to writing briefs. The fact that judges spend so much time on roll call when there's a huge backlog of criminal cases in Hinds County is unbelievably frustrating and nonsensical especially given the technology available. Having a part time do-nothing DA doesn't help.
Cory will eventually get what he deserves but the freak out that he's in rehab and not standing in court to say "here" is completely ridiculous.
It is a complete waste of time and education. Like I said before, do doctors spend half their week scheduling their appointments and operations? That's what roll call is like.
Cory was a wanted fugitive for almost a month in the Weatherford estate case before he was jailed for 10 days. Now, he's left the state and a wake of financial destruction for clients. Meanwhile, the Mississippi Bar is in some sort of circle jerk.
"we have an honest lawyer", I don't believe you. An honest lawyer is like a big foot sighting, video, or pictures, or it didn't happen.
This would make a great Netflix movie about how clownish the legal system is, starting with the judges. Truly.
One thing I learned about the legal system when going through a divorce is to go ahead and schedule a court date with a judge at the beginning and with that court date set…let the negotiations begin! Begin with the end in mind! You’ll end up there anyway. Or you can play the game like “they” (both sides) want you too and the billable hours just keep rolling along. Then after a year or so, an appointment with a judge is set and things start wrapping up!
How does one do this?
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