Category Archives: Media

One More Individual Sentenced for Conspiring to Stage Automobile Accidents to Defraud Insurance and Trucking Companies

Department of Justice U.S. Attorney’s Office Eastern District of Louisiana Wednesday, March 15, 2023 NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – TROY SMITH (“SMITH”), age 58, of Houma, Louisiana, was sentenced on March 8, 2023 for Conspiracy to Commit Mail Fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371, arising out of staged automobile accidents with tractor-trailers occurring in…

Council President J.P. Morrell questions how investigation recordings were released

WVUE | March 15, 2023 CLICK FOR INTERVIEW

Records show OPSO spent $19,000 to house 13 employees in hotels during Carnival 2023

By Aubry Killion | WDSU | March 14, 2023 CLICK FOR VIDEO Major questions are being raised toward the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office. Records obtained by WDSU investigates show $19,149 in taxpayer money was spent on housing OPSO employees at expensive downtown hotels during Carnival 2023. Rooms were booked at the Omni, Marriott, and Sheraton.…

Top Orleans sheriff’s office commanders spent Mardi Gras nights in pricey Quarter hotels

By Mike Perlstein | WWL-TV | March 14, 2023 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS — New Orleans police officers were all hands on deck to return this year’s Mardi Gras parades to their traditional routes. And Carnival’s return to its full glory could not have happened without a big assist from the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s…

Four violent weekend carjackings under investigation, NOPD says

By Natasha Robin | WVUE | March 13, 2023 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – A violent weekend in New Orleans saw an uptick in carjackings, which had been trending down through the first two months of the year. New Orleans police investigated four carjackings across town, some of which involved multiple gunmen. On…

Orleans DA considers using habitual offender law, a campaign pledge reversal

By Elizabeth Kuebel | WDSU | March 9, 2023 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS — New Orleans District Attorney Jason Williams is now considering using the habitual offender law in certain instances involving violent offenders. It reverses course on a campaign pledge. Williams says using the law could be possible after a comprehensive review and…

New Orleans church holds peace walk against crime

By Andres Fuentes | WVUE | March 8, 2023 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – People gathered in the hundreds before Pontilly Coffee to trek along Chef Menteur Highway to Louisa St. and back again. Many carried signs of kindness, love, peace and prayer as they walked behind Bobby Belcher, who carried a wooden…

New Orleans district attorney reviewing dropped gun charges on Lundi Gras

By WWL Staff | WWL-TV | March 8, 2023 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS — New Orleans District Attorney Jason Williams said Tuesday that his office is reviewing transcripts after charges were refused in more than a dozen gun cases against individuals arrested on Lundi Gras. In a news conference announcing a partnership with Morris Bart’s…

In reversal, Orleans Parish DA Jason Williams to use law that extends prison terms for major crimes

By Jillian Kramer | NOLA.com | March 7, 2023 As violent crime surges, Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams will begin using a prosecutorial tool his office long avoided that can significantly lengthen the prison sentences of people convicted of multiple felonies. In a shift from the progressive reforms promised during his campaign for office, Williams on…

Three More Sentenced In Staged Automobile Collision Scheme

Department of Justice U.S. Attorney’s Office Eastern District of Louisiana Friday, March 3, 2023 NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that BERNELL GALE (“GALE”), age 46 of Raceland, Louisiana, TANYA GIVENS (“GIVENS”), age 45, of Gibson, Louisiana; and DAKOTA DIGGS (“D. DIGGS”), age 27, of Ft. Smith, Arkansas, were each sentenced on March 1, 2023 in United States District…