February 2, 2005 Robert R. Ringo
United States Attorney David R. Dugas announced today that former Livingston
Parish Councilman Robert R. Ringo pled guilty this morning before Judge Ralph
E. Tyson to a bill of information charging him with one count of making a false
statement on his income tax return, in violation of Title 26, United States
Code, Section 7206(1). Ringo faces up to three (3) years imprisonment, a $100,000
fine, or both.
This matter is part of an ongoing probe of corruption in Livingston Parish by
the U.S. Attorney's Office, the Criminal Investigation Division of the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA-CID), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the
Criminal Investigation Division of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS-CID), and
the Louisiana State Police (LSP). The case is being prosecuted by Assistant
United States Attorneys Corey R. Amundson and M. Patricia Jones.
The following facts were admitted by the defendant and form the basis for the
guilty plea:
In the Fall of 1999, Robert R. Ringo ("Ringo") ran for a seat on the
Livingston Parish Council. One of the major election issues was whether the
parish should transfer its environmental permit for the Woodside Landfill to
the operator of the landfill, Waste Management, Inc. During his campaign, Ringo
publicly advocated against transferring the permit to Waste Management and signed
numerous petitions to that effect.
In November 1999, Ringo was elected to a four year term as a councilman on the
Livingston Parish Council. The council subsequently took up the issue of whether
to transfer the Woodside Landfill permit to Waste Management. A vote of the
council was scheduled in March 2000. Prior to the vote, a local businessman,
who supported transferring the permit and had a financial interest in the success
of the landfill, informed Ringo that the local businessman would give Ringo
$17,000 if Ringo voted in favor of transferring the permit to Waste Management.
Ringo knew that the local businessman was offering the bribe to ensure that
Ringo voted in favor of the transfer.
In March 2000, the Livingston Parish Council voted 5 to 4 to transfer the Woodside
Landfill permit to Waste Management. Ringo voted in favor of the transfer. The
local businessman subsequently gave Ringo an envelope of $17,000 in cash because
Ringo voted to transfer the permit. Ringo later learned that the source of the
$17,000 was another local businessman who had a contract with Waste Management
for a percentage of royalties from income generated by the Woodside Landfill.
On April 3, 2003, Ringo filed his federal income tax return for the year 2000.
In doing so, Ringo did willfully make and subscribe an IRS Form 1040, Individual
Income Tax Return for tax year 2000. The form was verified by a written declaration
that it was made under the penalties of perjury, and it was filed with the Internal
Revenue Service in Memphis, Tennessee. Ringo did not believe his return to be
true and correct as to every material matter in that the return failed to report
the aforementioned $17,000 bribe he received from the local businessman. The
return reported only $29,500 in total income, whereas, as Ringo then and there
well knew and believed, he had total income of at least $46,500 for tax year
2000.