Overview

Frederick Cheney LaRue (1928-2004) was a wealthy Mississippi oil man and Nixon political adviser who became a central figure in the Watergate cover-up as the person who managed the distribution of hush money to the Watergate burglars. LaRue served as a special assistant to Attorney General John Mitchell at the Committee to Re-Elect the President (CRP) and was present at key meetings where the Watergate break-in was discussed. LaRue was present at two meetings in Key Biscayne in late January and February 1972 where G. Gordon Liddy presented his intelligence-gathering plans to Mitchell, John Dean, and Jeb Magruder. After the plans were scaled back, LaRue was aware of the operation's existence. Following the arrests at the Watergate on June 17, 1972, LaRue became responsible for managing the cash payments to the burglars to ensure their silence and cooperation. LaRue distributed approximately $300,000 in cash from a secret CRP fund to the burglars and their attorneys. He worked closely with John Dean and others in the cover-up operation. The hush money payments became one of the most damning elements of the obstruction of justice case against the Nixon administration. In June 1973, LaRue became one of the first Watergate defendants to plead guilty, entering a plea to conspiracy to obstruct justice. He cooperated extensively with prosecutors and testified before the Senate Watergate Committee. He was sentenced to six months in federal prison, of which he served four and a half months. LaRue died in 2004.

Key Affiliations

Controversies & Concerns

Related Investigations (1)

Known Associates & Connections

Sources & Documentation

3 documented sources from official records, investigations, and reports