2 former lawyers of rap mogul 'Suge' Knight arrested on accessory after the fact charges

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Two Los Angeles attorneys who represented former hip-hop mogul Marion "Suge" Knight were arrested Thursday on suspicion of being accessories after the fact to a felony, authorities said.

Deputies took Matthew Fletcher, 53, and Thaddeus Culpepper, 44, into custody on warrants, said Nicole Nishida, spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Additional information about the warrants was not disclosed.

Fletcher and Culpepper were arrested about 2 p.m. and shortly after 7 p.m., respectively, according to online records. Each was being held in lieu of $1 million bail.

Phone calls from the Associated Press seeking comment from the two men were not immediately returned.

Prosecutors in August accused Fletcher and Knight of witness tampering in the latter's pending murder case. Transcripts of recorded conversations suggested the two had talked about fabricating testimony and Knight had attempted to pay off possible witnesses with his attorney's assistance, according to a court filing.

The alleged discussion of bribery took place during recorded telephone calls in 2015 between Fletcher, the jailed Knight, his fiancée and his business partner.

Fletcher is among multiple attorneys who have represented Knight, co-founder of Death Row Records, who was charged with murder and attempted murder after he ran over two men with a pickup truck outside a hamburger stand in Compton in January 2015. One of the men, Terry Carter, was killed in the collision.

Knight has pleaded not guilty; his trial is scheduled to begin later this year.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.