NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Peter G. Strasser of the District of Louisiana today urged the public to report suspected fraud schemes related to COVID-19 (the Coronavirus) by calling the National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) hotline (1-866-720-5721) or to the NCDF e-mail address disaster@leo.gov. In coordination with the Department of Justice, Attorney General William…
By Editorial | Nola.com | February 2, 2020 In 2008, Gov. Bobby Jindal and the Legislature pledged the state to attain the “gold standard” of ethics in government. And when it comes to filling out forms, particularly for financial disclosures by elected officials, in many ways it was. But there turned out to be ways…
By Andrea Gallo | Nola.com | January 28, 2020 Every year, judges across Louisiana file financial disclosure forms meant to shine a light on how members of the judiciary earn their incomes. But most members of the public never see them. Though they are public documents, judges’ financial disclosure forms have only been available upon…
By Natasha Robin | Fox 8 New Orleans | July 23, 2019 Members of the Criminal Justice Committee heard a proposed plan Tuesday (July 23), that would eliminate money bails at Orleans Criminal District Court, along with court fines and fees for anyone arrested. John Wool of the Vera Institute said money bail does not make people…
By Nicholas Chrastil | The Lens | July 23, 2019 The Vera Institute of Justice — along with the ACLU Louisiana, the Foundation for Louisiana and Stand With Dignity — on Tuesday made their case for eliminating cash bail and conviction fees to the New Orleans City Council’s Criminal Justice Committee. The presentation was based on a report…
By Chad Calder | Nola.com | July 20, 2019 A Gretna police officer posted a comment on his Facebook page this past week calling U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez a “vile idiot” who “needs a round, and I don’t mean the kind she used to serve.” The comment, which alludes to the freshman Democrat’s past work…
By Thanh Truong | WWL | July 19, 2019 In New Orleans, we’ve heard quite a bit this week about the body-worn cameras police wear when they respond to calls. When turned on, body-worn cameras can back up police accounts, as they did in a shoot-out between New Orleans Police and two suspects at CVS last month.…
By Dan Fagan | The Advocate | July 6, 2019 Eighteen-year-old Theron Glover has been a busy young man as of late. Police have already arrested him several times this year, and he currently faces 160 pending charges in New Orleans Criminal District Court. Last week, police arrested Glover again for opening fire on a…
By Mike Perlstein | WWL | July 1, 2019 NEW ORLEANS — About one-third of suspects booked with violent felony crimes in New Orleans are deemed low-risk to re-offend or miss court in a risk assessment survey used by the court to determine bail, but those assessments are often ignored by the magistrates setting bail,…
By Rob Masson | Fox 8 New Orleans | July 1, 2019 at 1:09 PM CDT – Updated July 1 at 5:43 PM NEW ORLEANS, La. (WVUE) – The Metropolitan Crime Commission released a report calling the local inmate risk assessment program a waste of money Monday afternoon (July 1). “The Public Safety Assessment is…