2009 Press Releases

October - December

19 November Illegal Motion - Bills of Information and Guilty Pleas

04 November Illegal Motion - Jackson Plea

27 October Gator Bait Superseding Indictment

15 October Ferrell Bill of Information

19 November Illegal Motion - Bills of Information and Guilty Pleas

BILLS OF INFORMATION AND GUILTY PLEAS IN BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA, ON CHARGES OF USING INTERSTATE FACILITIES IN AID OF BRIBERY

BATON ROUGE, LA – United States Attorney David R. Dugas announced today that EVELYN J. HOLDEN, age 52, KOVERIA D. WILLIAMS, age 44, and ANN M. WARR, age 58, all residents of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, were charged in Bills of Information arising out of Operation “Illegal Motion.” All three were arraigned today before U.S. District Court Judge James Brady and pled guilty to the charges contained in the Bills of Information filed against them.

The Bill of Information filed against EVELYN J. HOLDEN charges that from in or about 2008 through October of 2009, while employed in the property section of the 19th Judicial District Court, HOLDEN conspired with Flitcher Bell and others to engage in bribery by soliciting payments from individuals with criminal and traffic matters pending in Baton Rouge City Court with the promise that the charges would be dismissed or otherwise “fixed.” HOLDEN faces a maximum sentence of five (5) years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

The Bill of Information filed against KOVARIA D. WILLIAMS charges that from in or about 2008 through October of 2009, WILLIAMS conspired with Flitcher Bell and others to engage in bribery by soliciting payments from individuals with criminal and traffic matters pending in Baton Rouge City Court with the promise that the charges would be dismissed or otherwise “fixed.” WILLIAMS faces a maximum sentence of five (5) years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

The Bill of Information filed against ANN M. WARR charges that from in or about 2008 through October of 2009, WARR, while employed with the Baton Rouge City Court, conspired with Edward James and others to engage in bribery by soliciting payments from individuals who were required to perform community service with the promise that the requirements would be fraudulently satisfied by falsely creating court documents reflecting performance of community service by the defendants. WARR faces a maximum sentence of five (5) years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

The charges resulted from Operation “Illegal Motion,” an ongoing investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Attorney’s Office with the cooperation of the Louisiana Office of Inspector General; the Louisiana State Police; the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigative Division; the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General; and the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality – Criminal Investigations Division. The cases are being prosecuted by Deputy Criminal Chief Corey R. Amundson and Assistant United States Attorney M. Patricia Jones.

For further information, contact David R. Dugas, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Louisiana, or Lyman Thornton, First Assistant U.S. Attorney, at (225) 389-0443.

NOTE: A Bill of Information is a determination by the U.S. Attorney’s Office that there is probable cause to believe that an offense has been committed by the defendant. The defendant, of course, is presumed innocent until and unless he or she is proven guilty at trial.

04 November Illegal Motion - Jackson Plea

ANOTHER BILL OF INFORMATION AND GUILTY PLEA IN BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA, IN OPERATION ILLEGAL MOTION”

BATON ROUGE, LA – United States Attorney David R. Dugas announced today that LEONARD P. JACKSON, age 45, of Prairieville, LA was arraigned before U.S. District Court Judge James Brady and pleaded guilty to a two count Bill of Information filed against him.

Count One of the Bill of Information filed against JACKSON charges that from about 2006 until October of 2009 JACKSON, while serving as a law enforcement officer with the Baton Rouge City Police Department, conspired with others to engage in bribery by soliciting and accepting payments from individuals with criminal and traffic matters pending in Baton Rouge City Court with the promise that the charges would be dismissed or otherwise “fixed.” Count Two charges that on September 17, 2009 JACKSON accepted a cash bribe payment in exchange for using his position as a police officer to collect a $10,000 gambling debt on behalf of an individual. JACKSON faces a maximum sentence of five (5) years in prison and a fine of $250,000 on each count.

The charges against JACKSON resulted from Operation “Illegal Motion,” an ongoing investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Attorney’s Office with the cooperation of the Louisiana Office of Inspector General, the Louisiana State Police, the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigative Division and the Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General and the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, Criminal Investigations Division. The cases are being prosecuted by Deputy Criminal Chief Corey R. Amundson and Assistant United States Attorney M. Patricia Jones.

JACKSON is the fourth individual to plead guilty as a result of Operation “Illegal Motion.”

For further information, contact David R. Dugas, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Louisiana, or Lyman Thornton, First Assistant U.S. Attorney, at (225) 389-0443.

02 November Illegal Motion - James Plea

ANOTHER BILL OF INFORMATION AND GUILTY PLEA IN BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA, IN OPERATION “ILLEGAL MOTION”

BATON ROUGE, LA – United States Attorney David R. Dugas announced today
that EDWARD C. JAMES, age 65, of Baton Rouge, LA was charged in a Bill of Information
with violating the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) and with
conspiracy for allegedly accepting or extorting bribes from individuals with pending criminal
charges in the Baton Rouge City Court and the 19th Judicial District Court and then sharing
the proceeds of the bribe or extortion with a prosecutor or court official who would arrange
for the matters to be dismissed or otherwise “fixed.” JAMES was arraigned today before
U.S. District Judge James Brady and pled guilty to the charges contained in the Bill of
Information.

The charges against JAMES resulted from Operation “Illegal Motion,” an ongoing
investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States
Attorney’s Office with the cooperation of the Louisiana Office of Inspector General, the
Louisiana State Police, the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigative Division and the
Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General and the Louisiana
Department of Environmental Quality, Criminal Investigations Division. The cases are
being prosecuted by Deputy Criminal Chief Corey R. Amundson and Assistant United States
Attorney M. Patricia Jones.

JAMES is the fourth individual charged as a result of Operation “Illegal Motion” and
the third to plead guilty. JAMES faces a maximum sentence of twenty (20) years in prison
and a fine of $250,000 on the RICO charge and a maximum sentence of five (5) years in
prison and a fine of $250,000 on the conspiracy charge.

After the guilty plea by JAMES, U. S. Attorney David R. Dugas stated “Operation
“Illegal Motion” is an ongoing investigation that has uncovered evidence of corruption in the
criminal court system in East Baton Rouge Parish. Anyone with knowledge of corruption at
any level of government, but particularly in the court system or in law enforcement agencies,
is urged to contact my office or the FBI to report that information.”

For further information, contact David R. Dugas, U.S. Attorney for the Middle
District of Louisiana, or Lyman Thornton, First Assistant U.S. Attorney, at (225) 389-0443.

NOTE: A Bill of Information is a determination by the U.S. Attorneys Office that there is
probable cause to believe that an offense has been committed by the defendant. The defendant,
of course, is presumed innocent until and unless he is proven guilty at trial.

30 October Illegal Motion

BILLS OF INFORMATION AND GUILTY PLEAS IN BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA, ON CHARGES OF USING INTERSTATE FACILITIES IN AID OF BRIBERY

BATON ROUGE, LA – United States Attorney David R. Dugas announced today that FLITCHER R. BELL, age 43, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana; DARRELL JOHNSON, age 48, of Bueche, Louisiana; and LEONARD P. JACKSON, age 45, of Prairieville, Louisiana, were charged in Bills of Information alleging that each accepted bribes in exchange for “fixing” criminal matters filed and pending in Baton Rouge City Court. JOHNSON and BELL were arraigned today before U. S. District Court Judge James Brady and pled guilty to the charges contained in the Bills of Information filed against them. JACKSON is scheduled for arraignment on Wednesday, November 4, 2009, before Judge Brady.

Count One of the Bill of Information filed against FLITCHER R. BELL charges that from about 2006 through October of 2009, while serving as a senior prosecutor with the Baton Rouge City Prosecutor’s Office, BELL conspired with others to engage in bribery by soliciting and accepting payments from individuals with criminal and traffic matters pending in Baton Rouge City Court with the promise that the charges would be dismissed or otherwise “fixed.” Count Two charges that BELL received cash in exchange for dismissing a criminal charge against an undercover FBI agent. BELL faces a maximum sentence of five (5) years in prison and a fine of $250,000 on each count.

The Bill of Information filed against DARRELL JOHNSON charges that in the spring of 2009, while serving as a law enforcement officer with the Baton Rouge City Police Department, JOHNSON accepted a cash payment in exchange for causing the dismissal of prostitution charges filed against an individual. JOHNSON faces a maximum sentence of five (5) years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

Count One of the Bill of Information filed against LEONARD P. JACKSON charges that from about 2006 until October of 2009 JACKSON, while serving as a law enforcement officer with the Baton Rouge City Police Department, conspired with others to engage in bribery by soliciting and accepting payments from individuals with criminal and traffic matters pending in Baton Rouge City Court with the promise that the charges would be dismissed or otherwise “fixed.” Count Two charges that on September 17, 2009, JACKSON accepted a cash bribe payment in exchange for using his position as a police officer to collect a $10,000 gambling debt on behalf of an individual. If convicted, JACKSON faces a maximum sentence of five (5) years in prison and a fine of $250,000 on each count.

After the guilty pleas by BELL and JOHNSON, U. S. Attorney David R. Dugas stated, “Public corruption at any level of government is unacceptable, but corruption of the criminal justice system threatens our most precious heritage, equal treatment under the law for all citizens. If those with access to corrupt police officers or prosecutors can obtain privileged treatment in exchange for cash bribes or other consideration, then the most important underpinnings of our legal system are threatened.”

Howard Schwartz, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the New Orleans Division of the FBI, stated, “New Orleans usually gets all the attention relating to public corruption. As these guilty pleas today clearly demonstrate, public corruption is by no means limited to the city of New Orleans. The FBI, along with our Federal, State, and Local partners, each represented here today, are focusing our attention on public corruption matters in the Baton Rouge area. I’ll also take this occasion to announce the formation of our Public Corruption Working Group, which will aggressively pursue corruption at all levels. This Group is comprised of the FBI, the United States Attorney’s Office, Department of Environmental Quality, Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General, Louisiana State Inspector General, Internal Revenue Service, and the Louisiana State Police.”

For further information, contact David R. Dugas, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Louisiana, or Lyman Thornton, First Assistant U.S. Attorney, at (225) 389-0443.

27 October Gator Bait Superseding Indictment

SUPERSEDING INDICTMENT IN BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA IN OCDETF “OPERATION GATOR BAIT” CASE

BATON ROUGE, LA – United States Attorney David R. Dugas announced the unsealing of a superseding indictment on Friday, October 23, 2009, in the OCDETF Operation “Gator Bait” case. The superseding indictment was returned by a federal grand jury on September 24, 2009, and placed under seal pending the arrest of three of the defendants charged therein.

JOSE ANGEL RAMIREZ, age 31, MARIO ERNESTO ARTEAGA, age 40, and ROBERTO ALCALA TRUJILLO, age 46, residents of Houston, Texas, were arrested in Houston, Texas, on Friday, October 23, 2009. These three individuals were charged in the Superseding Indictment along with the thirteen individuals, including JOSE RICARDO RAMIREZ, brother of JOSE ANGEL RAMIREZ, who were charged in the original indictment on August 6, 2008. All but two of the defendants charged in the original indictment have pled guilty. NICK HENRY MARTINEZ and JOSE RICARDO RAMIREZ are scheduled to appear in District Court before Chief U.S. District Court Judge Ralph E. Tyson for re-arraignments on October 28, 2009.

JOSE ANGEL RAMIREZ, MARIO ERNESTO ARTEAGA, and ROBERTO ALCALA TRUJILLO were each charged with conspiracy to distribute and to possess with the intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine and fifty grams or more of cocaine base. In addition, JOSE ANGEL RAMIREZ was charged with illegal use of communications facilities. The Superseding Indictment charges that JOSE ANGEL RAMIREZ was one of two Houston “sources” who supplied multi-kilogram quantities of cocaine to defendant WILLIE JONES, JR. (also known as “Gator”) and others in the Baton Rouge area. Defendants ROBERTO ALCALA TRUJILLO and MARIO ERNESTO ARTEAGA are charged with assisting JOSE ANGEL RAMIREZ in the distribution and transportation of cocaine.

The defendants each face a sentence of imprisonment of not less than ten years to a maximum of life, and a maximum fine of $4,000,000.

These charges are a result of “Operation Gator Bait,” an extensive investigation conducted by the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) for the Middle District of Louisiana. The OCDETF is a multi-agency task force formed to investigate and prosecute criminal groups and individuals who organize, direct, finance, or are otherwise engaged in high level drug trafficking and related financial crimes. The OCDETF for the Middle District of Louisiana is comprised of agents from the Baton Rouge Resident Office of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation Division, and the U.S. Marshal's Service. Other participating members in this OCDETF investigation included the Louisiana Alcohol, Tobacco Control Board; the Louisiana State Police; the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's Office; the West Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff(s Office; the Ascension Parish Sheriff(s Office; the Baton Rouge Police Department; and the Gonzales Police Department. This OCDETF investigation was coordinated by the United States Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Louisiana, with AUSA Jennifer Kleinpeter serving as the lead OCDETF prosecutor on the case.

The three defendants arrested on Friday were apprehended in conjunction with an 11 month long investigation conducted by federal authorities in the Southern District of Texas that began following the arrest of SUZANNA VOELKER in December of 2008 on an arrest warrant issued from this District as part of the original Operation “Gator Bait” indictment. Authorities in Houston, Texas, located VOELKER at a house on Magnolia Crest Place in Houston, Texas. A search of the house resulted in the seizure of 26.5 kilograms of cocaine valued at more than $500,000, 848 grams of crack cocaine, 1500 pills of 3,4 methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA or ecstasy), 1000 hydrocodone pills and five pounds of marijuana. Agents also recovered thousands of rounds of ammunition and numerous loaded firearms including semi-automatic rifles; FN Herstal, Model Five-Seven, 5.7 x 28 mm pistols; FN Herstal, Model FS2000, 5.56 mm carbines; 22LR caliber pistols; UZI Model A, 9mm rifles; 9mm sub-machine guns including one with a silencer; a Coharie, Model CA89, 9mm assault weapon; a Smith and Wesson, Model 38-2 Ladysmith, .38 special revolver; a green metallic ammunition box containing an aggregate total of 1,303 rounds of ammunition of various calibers; and 3,132 assorted rounds of ammunition of various calibers.

The Houston investigation has resulted in the indictment of an additional 10 individuals in the Southern District of Texas and additional charges against VOELKER. Four of the defendants in the Houston indictment are charged with firearms violations including dealing in firearms without a license. Six of the defendants are charged with drug related offenses. The investigation also led to the seizure of more than 800 marijuana plants, more than 1100 pounds of cultivated marijuana and more than 20 firearms on Friday.

NOTE: An indictment is a determination by a grand jury that there is probable cause to believe that offenses have been committed by the defendants. The defendants, of course, are presumed innocent until and unless they is proven guilty at trial.

15 October Ferrell Bill of Information

FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER CHARGED WITH FRAUD

BATON ROUGE, LA – The Office of the United States Attorney for the Middle District of Louisiana announced today that WILLIAM T. FERRELL, III, age 41, of Gulfport, Mississippi, has been charged in a Bill of Information with theft from a common carrier, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 660. FERRELL, who is a Marine Interdiction Agent with U.S. Customs and Border Protection within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, is charged with stealing approximately $100,000 from Double F Logistics LLC, a company associated with Capital City Produce, Inc. If convicted, FERRELL faces up to ten years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, or both.

This matter was investigated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Louisiana and the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General, and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Internal Affairs. The matter is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Corey R. Amundson, who serves as a deputy chief of the Criminal Division.

NOTE: A bill of information is merely an allegation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty at trial.

The United States Attorney's Office

Middle District of Louisiana

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2009 Press Releases

October - December