By: Chris Joseph | fox8live.com | February 24, 2025
(WVUE) – A federal judge sentenced former NOPD Sgt. Todd Morrell to five years probation plus restitution and community service on Tuesday (2/25) for six counts of wire fraud.
Judge Jay Zainey ordered Morrell to pay a $5 thousand fine, avoid taking on additional debt without permission and serve 150 hours at the New Orleans Recreation and Development Commission.
Additionally, Morrell will be on home detention for eight months with special exceptions for prayer or other approved travel.
He will be responsible for paying a to-be-determined restitution amount. Zainey scheduled an April 29 hearing on the restitution.
In the courtroom, Zainey pressed Morrell for “sincerity” on why he exploited the New Orleans Police Department’s pay system to get paid for on-duty and off-duty detail shifts he didn’t work.
Morrell admitted he “stopped caring”, “became greedy” and “was a victim of (his) own success.”
He acknowledged he gamed the system and apologized to the court.
Federal prosecutor Jordan Ginsburg said Morrell “selfishly prioritized” his own interests over the public trust and community he swore to serve.
He showed the court 87 instances where Morrell engaged in fraud, accounting for just shy of 676 hours.
Ginsburg referenced Lee Zurik’s Attention to the Details investigations which exposed Morrell for racing while on the clock.
“Where was he? He was race car driving judge,” Ginsburg asked.
Zainey read out-loud quotes from several letters sent to him by Morrell’s family, friends, fellow officers, supporters and public figures. The authors included Congressman Troy Carter (D-New Orleans) and Morrell’s brother, At-Large New Orleans City Councilman JP Morrell.
Zainey said the letters represent the good Morrell provided to the community, and a sign of what he can do in the future. He said Morrell can “send a message of rehabilitation.”
Fox 8 Legal Analyst Joe Raspanti said he expected the probation sentence and it was appropriate for Morrell’s crime and background.”
“As a policeman he knows how to behave himself and that’s all you got to do basically is not break the law and be where you’re supposed to be when you’re supposed to be there,” he said.
Morrell pleaded guilty to six counts of wire fraud in November 2024 after Lee Zurik’s multi-part Attention to the Details investigation began in 2021.
Zurik’s investigation exposed Morrell submitting false timesheets, clocking hours he didn’t work.
Zurik revealed one example where Morrell was live-streamed at a race track awards ceremony in January 2021 when his time sheet indicated he was working a detail shift at the Fair Grounds.
On each count, Morrell faces up to 20 years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine, along with probation time.
However, a U.S. Attorney case filing indicates the Pre-Sentencing Investigation Report recommended a prison sentence of four to ten months.
It also shows Morrell’s legal team argued for probation, citing Morrell’s public service and the health impacts of that service.
Fox 8 Legal Analyst Joe Raspanti said the judge will have to weigh several factors.
“Because he was working for the government, that is probably going to be an enhancer for him. I don’t know whether or not he’s done any cooperation with the government which would possibly lower his guidelines. So it’s something, there’s too many variables in it for us to predict where he’s going to land,” he said.
Civilian Watchdog and University of New Orleans Forensic Science and Chemistry Professor Skip Gallagher compiles NOPD pay data. He said Morrell wasn’t alone in the fraud, and the sentencing should send a message.
“Officers are in charge of enforcing the law, not breaking the law, and it disturbs me to no end to see officers who are just flouting this,” he said.
In the aftermath of Zurik’s reports, the NOPD confirmed other officers were under investigation for double-dipping.
Rafael Goyeneche leads the watchdog group the Metropolitan Crime Commission. He said a centralized computer system monitoring timesheets might help curb the opportunity for fraud.
“What is significant about this is that when this type of misconduct goes unaddressed, it creates the atmosphere in which they’re going to be more abuses,” he said.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office declined to comment while Morrell’s legal team did not respond.