Fred Larue

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Vocation

American government official, an aide in the administration of U.S. President Richard Nixon, who served a short prison sentence for his role in the Watergate break-in and the subsequent Watergate scandal and cover-up. Oddly, LaRue had no rank, title, salary, or even listing in the White House directory. LaRue was present at an early meeting with his friend, United States Attorney General John N. Mitchell, at which the Watergate burglary was planned. Afterwards, LaRue assisted the cover-up, supervising the shredding of documents and the destruction of financial records. LaRue was known as the "bagman" because he delivered more than $300,000 in cash ("hush money") to the conspirators and their attorneys to keep participants of the Watergate burglary quiet. LaRue was the first Administration official to plead guilty to crimes related to his involvement with the Watergate burglary and the cover-up. He pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice in July 1973 and served four and a half months in custody at the Maxwell Air Force Base near Montgomery, Alabama. LaRue's fellow Watergate-convicts John Mitchell and Charles Colson also served their prison time at Maxwell AFB. He died on 24 July 2004, aged 75, in Biloxi, Mississippi. Link to Wikipedia biography