By Maddie Kerth, Fox 8 August 21, 2023 New Orleans’ Inspector General Ed Michel on Monday (Aug. 21) advised the City of New Orleans to take a firmer stand over code violations at the blighted downtown Plaza Tower. With multiple calls for service, fires and a falling death in 2023 alone, the Office of Inspector…

By Joseph Cranney, nola.com (photo credit: Sophia Germer) August 19, 2023 Days after a private security guard shot a man in the back outside the New Orleans library’s main branch this month, library staff members and administrators gathered to air a host of complaints about the firm that has held the library security contract for the last several years. In that…

By Natasha Robin, Fox 8 August 15, 2023 Leaders of New Orleans’ criminal justice system on Tuesday (Aug. 15) touted a $30 million planned technology upgrade that they say will replace computers and data systems that have been outdated for decades. “This is going to cost a lot of money,” Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason…

By Cassie Schirm, WDSU Updated August 15, 2023 A federal hearing to discuss the consent decree and NOPD’s handling of an investigation into Mayor Latoya Cantrell’s executive detail is pushed back another week. This comes after Cantrell’s administration asked the federal Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals to intervene in a hearing ordered by the federal…

August 11, 2023 NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that ANTOINE CLARK(“CLARK”),age 33, of New Orleans, Louisiana; DIMITRI FRAZIER (“FRAZIER”), age 31, of Westwego, Louisiana; SHIRLEY HARRIS (“HARRIS”), age 38, of New Orleans, Louisiana; ADONTE TURNER (“A. TURNER”), age 25, of New Orleans, Louisiana; and TIFFANY TURNER (“T. TURNER”), age 52, of New Orleans, Louisiana were indicted on August 10, 2023.…

By Fox 8 Staff August 9, 2023 A 14-year-old juvenile has been arrested in connection to the fatal shooting of 13-year-old Juelz Brock, according to the New Orleans Police Department. Officers responded to the shooting on Aug. 6 in the 7700 block of Shubert Street, where Brock was found suffering from a gunshot wound to…

By Jordan Lippincott, WGNO August 8, 2023  A growing number of shooting victims in New Orleans are juveniles. New numbers show the increase, and despite all categories of violent crime being down compared to 2022, the president of the Metropolitan Crime Commission, Rafael Goyeneche, says juvenile violence remains a significant area of concern. The 13-year-old…

By Maddie Kerth, Fox 8 August 7, 2023 A 13-year-old boy shot and killed in New Orleans East Sunday night is the twenty-first juvenile to die by gunfire so far this year, according to a New Orleans crime watchdog report. The alarming trend is shocking neighborhoods across the city just as school starts for the new year.…

By Chris Miller, WWL August 7, 2023 New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s administration is asking the federal Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals to intervene in a hearing ordered by the federal judge overseeing the NOPD consent decree. U.S. District Judge Susie Morgan is seeking more information on NOPD Public Integrity Bureau’s investigation of alleged payroll…

By David Hammer, WWL4 August 1, 2023 The International Association of Chiefs of Police finished its review of six candidates, and gave the highest score to former Henderson, Nev., police chief Thedrick Andres. But there are still major questions about how the IACP process was handled and how it scored the candidates, something that means…

By Eli Brand, WDSU July 31, 2023 Former Orleans Parish prosecutor and current attorney Blake Arcuri says Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason William’s track record of refusing charges has allowed some suspects to commit other crimes. Arcuri says an example can be seen from this Wednesday when NOPD arrested Keddrick Butler for allegedly breaking into…

Paul Murphy, WWL4 July 28, 2023 New Orleans police are investigating yet another series of vehicle break ins in the CBD.  An employee from a CBD hotel spent part of the morning helping guests whose vehicles were burglarized late Thursday or early Friday morning. They were parked in a high-rise garage at O’Keefe Avenue and…

By Eleanor Tabone, WWL4 July 28, 2023 As violent crime continues to cause pain and bloodshed across our city, New Orleans Councilman Oliver Thomas is proposing a tool to catch those firing guns. ShotSpotter alerts police on where gun fire is coming from. Some say, however, the police department simply doesn’t have the manpower to…

Rob Masson, FOX 8 July 26, 2023 In the face of criticism over the transparency of the process to select the next NOPD superintendent, Mayor LaToya Cantrell says she is letting the process play out. “This is one of the largest decisions, I’ve had so many, but this is the most recent large decision I’ve…

By Leslie Turk, The Current July 26, 2023 Around a decade ago, district attorneys across Louisiana ramped up pretrial diversion programs, drawing ire from critics who saw a money grab in their proliferation. A lack of oversight, critics said, made it hard to evaluate what benefit such programs had on the justice system.  Citing such…

By Alyssa Curtis, WWL4 July 25, 2023 The parking lot at the Hilton, near the Riverwalk was a recent target for car burglars. According to the Hilton, they are aware of recent reports of vehicle break ins. Hotel officials tell WWLTV, in a statement, they are working with partners to increase security presence. Data from…

By Holly Matkin, The Police Tribune July 21, 2023 The City of New Orleans has begun making fine payments that could add up to tens of millions of dollars for failing to keep a sufficient number of officers on the city’s police force. The New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) has lost so many officers in…

By Gabriella Killett and John Simerman, nola.com July 20, 2023 A day after Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s administration revealed six semifinalists for New Orleans police chief, the pool of remaining candidates and the secretive process behind it drew a chorus of criticism. The remaining candidates began two days of interviews Thursday at Gallier Hall before two…

By Natasha Robin, FOX 8 July 18, 2023 The City of New Orleans is being fined tens of millions of dollars by a police retirement group due to the drastic decline in police officers. The Municipal Police Employees’ Retirement System (MPERS) will fine the city starting at $50,000 per month, which will escalate to $214,000…

Lee Zurik and Dannah Sauer, FOX 8 July 18, 2023 New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s recent overnight stays at the city-owned Upper Pontalba apartment during Essence Fest weekend may have violated a newly passed City Council ordinance. Video footage obtained by Fox 8 from a public-owned camera shows Mayor Cantrell entering the apartment on several…

By Lily Cummings, 4WWL July 17, 2023 NEW ORLEANS — Two kids were shot Sunday night in New Orleans East. The 10-year-old girl and 13-year-old boy were inside a home on Curran Road in Little Woods when shots were fired around 9PM, according to the New Orleans Police Department.  The two juveniles were taken to…

By David Hammer June 30, 2023 NEW ORLEANS — The chairman of the board overseeing New Orleans’ 911 communications has called an emergency board meeting for next Thursday to discuss possible criminal allegations against the city’s 911 director, Tyrell Morris. “The meeting will take place at OPCD board room to discuss the incident involving Director…

June 29, 2023 Written by: Meg Gatto NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – New audio recordings FOX 8 obtained reveal the moment 911 center chief Tyrell Morris got into an accident in his city-owned vehicle. We’ve also learned from a City Hall source that the Inspector General’s office sent investigators to the 911 center Thursday, seizing cell…

June 29, 2023 Written by: Sabrina Wilson NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Mayor Latoya Cantrell says she is not on board with calls to have embattled 911 Center chief Tyrell Morris leave his position sooner than his planned September 15 resignation. A day after city council members Helena Moreno and J.P. Morrell sent a letter to…

June 27, 2023 Written by: FOX 8 Staff NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – In a letter written to the chairman of the board for the Orleans Parish Communication District, the president and vice president of the City Council are requesting the immediate suspension of the 911 center’s executive director. Tyrell Morris announced his resignation from his…

June 22, 2023 Written by: FOX 8 Staff NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – A New Orleans police officer who has been at the center of an internal investigation has returned to his duty on the mayor’s executive protection team. At a press conference Thursday afternoon, Mayor LaToya Cantrell got out of her SUV, greeted by Officer…

By Cassie Schirm, June 23, 2023 Orleans Parish Communication Executive Director Tyrell Morris is under investigation by the Office of Inspector General of New Orleans regarding the altering of public documents as well as a car accident he was involved in back in May. That’s according to sources within City Hall. WDSU Investigates confirmed the…

By: FOX 8 Staff | fox8live.com | July 10, 2023 NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – A second suspect has been arrested in the armed robbery, shooting, and paralyzation of UNO student Noah Hansard. Police say Hansard, 24, was robbed and shot in the 2400 block of Paris Avenue in the Lake Terrace neighborhood of New Orleans…

By: Kenny Lopez | wgno.com | June 22, 2023 NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — Igor’s is the latest business in New Orleans to be hit by criminals. In this case, police say employees did fight back. Crime experts say in that split second, you have to make a decision, and it must be a smart one.…

By: Lee Zurik and Dannah Sauer | fox8live.com | June 16, 2023 NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – The head of a New Orleans crime watch group calls an investigation into a former member of the mayor’s security team “flawed” and “incomplete.” The New Orleans Police Department’s Public Integrity Bureau (PIB) launched an investigation into Officer Jeffrey…

By Missy Wilkinson | NOLA.com | June 1, 2023 Days after a 17-year-old boy was shot while driving on Interstate 10 near the Elysian Fields exit, New Orleans police on Thursday remained tight-lipped about the shooting and potential strategies they may be considering to end the bloodshed on highways that feel increasingly unsafe. The teen was…

By: Danae Columbus | uptownmessenger.com | June 1, 2023 Lawyer Bill Aaron, a former city attorney under Mayor Sidney Barthelemy, raised a few eyebrows recently when he posted support for Republican state Rep. Debbie Villio’s House Bill 321, the Truth and Transparency Act, which would make public the criminal records of juveniles over the age of 13…

By Kenny Kuhn | WWL-TV | May 15, 2023 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS — The New Orleans Police Department is investigating four separate shootings that left three people dead and one wounded Sunday night, two of those shootings happened just minutes apart from each other. The first was a shooting in the 2300 block of Toledano…

By Joseph Cranney | NOLA.com | May 12, 2023 A controversial Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office employee whom Sheriff Susan Hutson said she was dismissing in March has still not been let go, and it’s not clear when she might be on her way out. Instead, Kristen Morales is working remotely, doesn’t submit timesheets and has…

By Natasha Robin | WVUE | May 12, 2023 NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Three women have lost their lives in separate incidents over the past 24 hours, adding to the concerning rise in the number of female victims across the city. Two women were shot multiple times in the 1000 block of North Claiborne early…

By Dionne Johnson | KLFY | May 10, 2023 CLICK FOR VIDEO LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) A bribery scheme of kickbacks that involved a former contract employee within the 15th Judicial District, Lafayette’s District Attorney’s has captured the attention of the Metropolitan Crime Commission. The commission president, Rafael Goyeneche, says he has never seen anything that…

By David Jones | WVUE | May 5, 2023 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – A man arrested for carrying an automatic weapon in the French Quarter, who was then released after the charges were refused, now faces federal charges. An indictment by a grand jury charged Keaton Manghave, a Tennessee resident, with illegally…

By Andres Fuentes | WVUE | May 4, 2023 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Thursday afternoon (May 4), Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams stood side-by-side with notable New Orleans East figures – all united against the crime wave plaguing the city. Business owners, faith leaders and city officials were at the eastbound…

By Lee Zurik & Dannah Sauer | WVUE | May 3, 2023 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – The federal monitor in charge of overseeing the New Orleans Police Department’s compliance with the consent decree says the department’s Public Integrity Bureau has been “backsliding.” The monitor’s 44-page report specifically cites the internal investigation into…

By Lee Zurik & Dannah Sauer | WVUE | May 2, 2023 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – New Orleans police officer Jeffrey Vappie was removed from Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s security detail in November 2022 amid a series of Fox 8 investigations. Those reports focused on his time spent with the mayor, both on…

By Mike Perlstein | WWL-TV | April 29, 2023 CLICK FOR INTERVIEW   TRAIL LED TO ARREST AFTER KILLING Johnell Hampton and his Uber driver Andrew Stiller were riddled with bullets during an ambush-style shooting on Lundi Gras. Stiller’s devastating injuries caused him to crash onto the Interstate-10 and into a passing car, injuring the…

By Gordon Russell, Claire Taylor, & Sam Karlin | The Advocate | April 28, 2023 A broad kickback scandal tied to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and at least two Louisiana district attorney’s offices has officials scrambling, opting to put some contracts on ice while commissioning audits aimed at assessing the scope of the damage. The scandal’s…

By Cassie Schirm | WDSU | April 27, 2023 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS — A call for more supervision over those protecting the New Orleans mayor, the Office of Inspector General just released a report raising concerns over a lack of procedure in place for Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s executive detail. “We determined that the executive protection…

By Rob Masson | WVUE | April 27, 2023 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Thursday (April 27), a federal consent decree monitor told a federal judge that NOPD manpower issues might be causing the department to regress. The NOPD did not attend a consent decree hearing for the first time, causing the federal…

By Meg Farris | WWL-TV | April 25, 2023 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS — Last year was the highest homicide rate in New Orleans since 1994. That’s according to numbers compiled by the Metropolitan Crime Commission. So far this year, all types of homicide are down five percent, but does that mean there are…

By Natasha Robin | WVUE | April 25, 2023 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – The New Orleans Police Department is preparing to increase patrols over the summer, joining forces with Louisiana State Police to launch Operation Golden Eagle for the third time. The program aims to deter crime and catch the most violent…

Department of Justice U.S. Attorney’s Office Eastern District of Louisiana Monday, April 24, 2023 NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that LOIS RUSSELL (“RUSSELL”), age 63 of Gibson, Louisiana, was sentenced on April 20, 2023 after previously pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Mail Fraud, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section…

By Natasha Robin | WVUE | April 21, 2023 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – An Eleanor McMain student, just 12 days away from graduating, lost his life to gun violence. He’s one of three juveniles killed in four separate shootings in New Orleans. Five people died in a matter of hours across New…

By Kiran Chawla | Unfiltered with Kiran | April 19, 2023 BATON ROUGE — The Baton Rouge Police Department has rehired an officer who was fired over 20 years ago bringing the question of potential disparate discipline to the forefront. BRPD Officer Tramelle Neldare in 1998 in the 61st Academy graduating class The now 56-year-old…

By Arielle Brumfield | WDSU | April 10, 2023 CLICK FOR VIDEO Easter weekend, a time usually spent with family, friends, and honoring religion, became a time of despair for some and a time of mourning for others. A hot spot location for shootings over the weekend, Councilman Eugene Green of District D says it’s…

By Kaare Johnson | New Orleans Neutral Ground | April 7, 2023 CLICK FOR INTERVIEW CLIP

NOIG Press Release – OPCD Credit Cards Audit – Apr. 6, 2023

By Mike Perlstein | WWL-TV | April 6, 2023 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS — Long before controversy gripped the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office over the decision to get hotel rooms for 13 top deputies while they helped with Carnival security, acrimony had been brewing among the agency’s top executives. In fact, according to multiple sources and…

By Natasha Robin | WVUE | April 4, 2023 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – After New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell refused to allow city employees to speak at public hearings on the consent decree without her permission, a federal judge has ordered the presence of several of the city’s top officials. In a court…

By Amy Russo | WGNO | April 4, 2023 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — The federal judge overseeing the NOPD consent decree is ordering several high-ranking city leaders to court next week. Some of those include Police Chief Michelle Woodfork and Chief Administrative Officer Gilbert Montano. The order comes after Mayor Latoya Cantrell’s…

Department of Justice U.S. Attorney’s Office Eastern District of Louisiana Friday, March 31, 2023 NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that, on March 29, 2023, U.S. District Judge Sarah S. Vance sentenced TROYLYNN BROWN (“BROWN”), age 35, after she pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Mail Fraud in violation of Title 18, United States…

By Rob Masson | WVUE| March 29, 2023 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell said she opposes any changes to her use of the city-owned Upper Pontalba apartment. In a routine press conference on Wednesday (March 29) Mayor Cantrell also said there is nothing inappropriate about her security team…

By Mike Perlstein | WWL-TV | March 29, 2023 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS — While Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson explained that her dismissal of four of her top executives was already in the works as part of a transition as she approaches the one-year mark of her time in office, one of those employees…

By Mike Perlstein | WWL-TV | March 23, 2023 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS — This is Part 3 of “Room Service,” an ongoing investigation into the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s use of high-end hotel rooms for top commanders during Carnival. You can read the first and second parts here. Responding to criticism over the use of public money to…

Department of Justice U.S. Attorney’s Office Eastern District of Louisiana Wednesday, March 22, 2023 NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – MARVEL FRANCOIS (“FRANCOIS”), age 54, of Houma, Louisiana, was sentenced today 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 New…

By Ken Daley & Natasha Robin | WVUE | March 22, 2023 CLICK FOR INTERVIEW NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – A defiant Mayor LaToya Cantrell called an investigation into timesheet irregularities involving members of her executive protection team a “witch hunt,” and said she felt vindicated by the failure of a petition seeking to force her…

By Nick Chrastil | The Lens | March 22, 2023 Earlier this month, Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams announced that he was going back on his campaign promise to never utilize or threaten to use the state’s habitual offender law, which can dramatically increase prison sentences for people who have been convicted of prior felonies.…

By Chris Nakamoto | WBRZ | March 21, 2023 CLICK FOR VIDEO BATON ROUGE – State corruption watchdogs, lawmakers and legal experts are questioning why Louisiana State Trooper Kaleb Reeves wasn’t arrested when he caused a crash that killed two sisters in north Louisiana in October 2020. It comes amid renewed outrage, triggered by a WBRZ Investigative…

By Rob Masson | WVUE | March 16, 2023 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – The city’s independent Police Monitor says it will not investigate alleged missteps in the Jeffery Vappie investigation. That was after statements made by the mayor’s former security officer were sent to the city attorney’s office. The head of the…

Bu Paul Murphy | WWL-TV | March 16, 2023 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS — A dog training company out of Vermillion Parish near Lafayette offered to cover nearly $20,000 in hotel expenses for top Orleans Sheriff’s Office commanders. Sheriff Susan Hutson thanked LAK9 owners Paul Leblanc and Lance Broussard. Broussard’s Facebook page showed Hutson…

By Arielle Brumfield | WDSU | March 16, 2023 CLICK FOR VIDEO Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams has invoked the habitual offender statute for violent offenders for the first time this week. The habitual offender statute is a tool Williams said he wouldn’t use, but now, more than two years into his administration, he’s…

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…

WVUE | March 15, 2023 CLICK FOR INTERVIEW

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.…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

By Natasha Robin | WVUE | March 3, 2023 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – “I mean it was throw me something mister and she was throwing ‘get out of free’ cards 15 times to gun cases,” says Rafael Goyeneche. The Metropolitan Crime Commission obtained and shared with FOX 8 the Magistrate Court transcripts…

By Natasha Robin | WVUE | March 2, 2023 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – An Orleans Parish Magistrate Judge set a $2.8 million bond for a man accused of killing two people and wounding a third in an interstate shooting in New Orleans East on Feb. 20. “It’s senseless. It’s barbaric. I’ve never seen anything…

By Lee Zurik & Dannah Sauer | WVUE | March 1, 2023 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – In about two years, Dr. John King, the longtime coroner in Lafourche Parish, earned an extra $69,900 of taxpayer money on top of his salary. A 2011 ordinance set King’s salary at $25,000. Before the council…

By Natasha Robin | WVUE | February 28, 2023 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Gun violence has sent over 100 people to the hospital in New Orleans through the first two months of the year, according to data from the Metropolitan Crime Commission, not counting victims who died from their injuries. In the…

By Jordan Lippincott | WGNO | February 28, 2023 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) – Data from the Metropolitan Crime Commission shows some violent crimes are down, like carjackings and armed robberies, but when it comes to shootings, the stats are a little more complicated. According to Metropolitan Crime Commission President Rafael Goyeneche, the…

By Ka’Cell El-Mansura | WGNO | February 25, 2023 NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — On Tuesday (Feb. 21) during Mardi Gras, the NOPD confiscated around 250 guns, but those accused of carrying the illegal firearms will not be facing charges. According to the New Orleans Metropolitan Crime Commission, during a bond hearing the District Attorney’s office…

By David Jones | WVUE | February 24, 2023 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – A Tennessee man allegedly caught carrying a modified machine gun on Bourbon Street was among more than a dozen arrestees whose cases were refused by a prosecutor from Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams’ office on Mardi Gras. Keaton…

By Rob Masson | WVUE | February 24, 2023 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – A decision made by a top prosecutor within the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s office freed over a dozen people who were found illegally carrying a weapon during Mardi Gras festivities and is now facing heavy criticism. A crime watchdog group and…

By WWL Staff | WWL-TV | February 23, 2023 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS — Louisiana’s Lt. Governor slammed the prosecutors’ decision to refuse charges against almost two dozen individuals who were arrested in New Orleans on Lundi Gras.  Court documents revealed that the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office refused charges in 19 cases, including 15 cases against individuals…

By Bun Choum | WDSU | February 23, 2023 CLICK FOR VIDEO The New Orleans District Attorney is ordering an extensive internal review after a prosecutor in his office refused charges on more than a dozen carnival arrests. In a statement to WDSU, the DA’s office wrote in part: “The Assistant DA’s strategic decision to…

By Natasha Robin | WVUE | February 22, 2023 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) -15 people, arrested for illegally carrying a weapon during Carnival, walked free when the Orleans District Attorney’s office refused the charges. “I’ve never seen this happen before,” says Rafael Goyeneche. “The charges were refused on the spot by the District…

Department of Justice U.S. Attorney’s Office Eastern District of Louisiana Thursday, February 16, 2023 NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that JOHN DIGGS (“J. DIGGS”), age 62, of Thibodaux, Louisiana, and JAMES WILLIAMS (“WILLIAMS”), age 68, of Gibson, Louisiana, were both sentenced February 14, 2023 to 10 months in prison by U.S. District Court Judge…

By Mike Perlstein | WWL-TV | February 14, 2023 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS — New Orleans District Attorney Jason Williams, a career criminal defense attorney, took office in 2021 as a reformer. But as a prosecutor, Williams quickly learned that the system to keep the city safe is only as strong as its weakest…

By Mike Perlstein | WWL-TV | February 14, 2023 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS — John Honore racked up at least seven arrests and 25 separate charges as juvenile, but he was back on the street when police say he carjacked 73-year-old Linda Frickey, who was dragged to her death, her arm severed from her…

Department of Justice U.S. Attorney’s Office Eastern District of Louisiana Friday, February 10, 2023 NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that DAVID BROWN (“BROWN”), age 51, of Morgan City, Louisiana; GILDA HENDERSON (“HENDERSON”), age 70, of Morgan City, Louisiana; LATRELL JOHNSON (“JOHNSON”), age 30, of  New Orleans, Louisiana; and STACIE WHEATEN (“WHEATEN”), age 51 of Fairburn, Georgia, were sentenced on…

Department of Justice U.S. Attorney’s Office Eastern District of Louisiana Monday, February 6, 2023 NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced DASHONTAE YOUNG (“YOUNG”), age 28, of Houma, Louisiana, was sentenced today for Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371, arising out of a staged automobile accident…

Department of Justice U.S. Attorney’s Office Eastern District of Louisiana Monday, February 6, 2023 NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that, on February 1, 2023, U.S. District Judge Sarah S. Vance sentenced ASHLEY McGOWAN (“McGOWAN”), age 36, to serve 24 months in prison, to be followed by one year of supervised release, for Conspiracy…

By Lee Zurik & Dannah Sauer | WVUE | February 6, 2023 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Newly obtained emails show New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell may have crossed an ethical line and possibly violated state law by letting out-of-town family members stay at a city-owned apartment. The French Market Corporation, a city…

By Matt Delaney | The Washington Times | February 6, 2023 New Orleans being named the nation’s “murder capital” ahead of Mardi Gras has local officials scrambling to bolster security while business owners are concerned that the reputation will scare away festival-goers. “I have had remarks that said because of the crime we don’t come to New…

WWL-Radio with Tommy Tucker | February 3, 2023 CLICK FOR INTERVIEW Rafael Goyeneche joins Tommy to talk about the police search for NOPD chief. Plus, how will the recall impact Mayor Cantrell’s search?

By Lee Zurik & Dannah Sauer | WVUE | February 2, 2023 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – On Wednesday, Sept. 7 at 6:27 p.m., a public security camera mounted outside the city-owned Upper Pontalba Apartments shows New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell arrive at the apartment. Minutes later, the camera recorded her on the…

By Natasha Robin | WVUE | February 1, 2023 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell said she’s encouraged by violent crime trends in the city. In a press conference on Wednesday (Feb. 1), Mayor Cantrell pointed to armed robberies, carjackings, and homicides, which she says are all trending down…

The Neutral Ground with Kaare Johnson | January 30, 2023 CLICK FOR INTERVIEW Rafael Goyeneche returns to discuss January homicides, criminal justice, Mardi Gras concerns, and the consistent automobile thefts throughout Orleans Parish / AP’s Brett Martel is live from the P-Mac talking LSU bball, Sean Payton, Super Bowl LVII

WWL-Radio with Tommy Tucker | January 26, 2023 CLICK FOR INTERVIEW Rafael Goyeneche joins Tommy to talk about crime and NOPD in New Orleans. 

Department of Justice U.S. Attorney’s Office Eastern District of Louisiana Monday, January 23, 2023 NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that LUCINDA THOMAS (“THOMAS”), age 67; MARY WADE (“WADE”), age 58; and JUDY WILLIAMS (“WILLIAMS”), age 62, all of Houma, Louisiana, were sentenced on January 19, 2023 for Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud, in violation of Title 18,…

By Rob Masson | WVUE | January 23, 2023 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Members of New Orleans’ criminal justice community are responding to Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s statements made on national television about the city’s crime fight. Cantrell claimed New Orleans’ murder rate and police officer attrition were on the “decline” and expressed little…

By Lily Cummings | WWL-TV | January 20, 2023 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS — In 2022, New Orleans saw the highest number of vehicles thefts in a decade. According to the City of New Orleans’ crime dashboard, there were 4,011 auto thefts. Now 20 days into 2023, the numbers are alarming. “618 reported car…

By Danae Columbus | Uptown Messenger | January 19, 2023 Watching yesterday’s special City Council meeting on crime was very painful. It put a spotlight on the fear, frustration and anger of thousands of New Orleanians who recognize that the city has probably never been so unsafe. Voters also realize that New Orleans political, business,…

By Lee Zurik & Dannah Sauer | WVUE | January 17, 2023 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – A source tells Fox 8 a new court filing accuses New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell of having an extramarital affair with a member of her security team. The wife of New Orleans police officer Jeffrey Vappie…

WWL-Radio with Newell Normand | January 16, 2023 CLICK FOR INTERVIEW Rafael Goyeneche, President of the Metropolitan Crime Commission, joins Newell to give the latest on the crime stats in New Orleans, the national search for an NOPD superintendent, and the Mayor’s Violent Crime Task force.   

Department of Justice U.S. Attorney’s Office Eastern District of Louisiana Wednesday, January 11, 2023 NEW ORLEANS –  The  United States  Attorney’s Office announced that former Louisiana State Senator and Chair of State Political Party “A,” KAREN CARTER PETERSON, age 53, from New Orleans, Louisiana, was sentenced today by United States District Judge Sarah S. Vance to…

By Eleanor Tabone | WWL-TV | January 3, 2023 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS — Three days into the new year and the city’s crime problem continues to take lives. It’s the most recent bloodshed in New Orleans – four people were shot Tuesday evening on S. Rocheblave Street, near Washington Avenue. All of them…

By Lee Zurik & Dannah Sauer | WVUE | December 1, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – FOX 8 obtains records the City of New Orleans first refused to turn over after a FOX 8 attorney sent a demand letter to the City Attorney’s Office. The City Attorney first said the records were…

Department of Justice U.S. Attorney’s Office Eastern District of Louisiana Wednesday, October 12, 2022 NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced today that HERBERT ALLEN (“ALLEN”), age 37, and DION RIDLEY (“RIDLEY”), age 23, agreed to plead guilty to count one (1) of their indictment, charging Conspiracy to Commit Mail Fraud in violation of Title…

By Michaela Romero | WGNO | September 20, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — New Orleans has skyrocketing homicide rates in 2022. According to the Wall Street Journal, New Orleans has the highest homicide rate of any major city so far this year. Their data shows that there are about 41 homicides per 100,000 residents.…

By Shay O’Connor | WDSU | September 20, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS — The city of New Orleans has been declared the murder capital of the United States for the first half of 2022, according to the Metropolitan Crime Commission. The MCC said when comparing the number of homicides with the population, the…

By Natasha Robin | WVUE | September 19, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – New Orleans has become the homicide capital of the country. “It’s no wonder that we are the homicide capital of the United States, when you’re seeing a 46 percent surge in homicides,” said Rafael Goyeneche, president of the Metropolitan…

By Cameron McWhirter | Wall Street Journal | September 16, 2022 Violent crime in New Orleans has grown to the point that Ibrahim Rabee no longer feels safe at his auto shop. At least seven people have been killed within blocks of his store since the beginning of the year, according to police records. Customers bring…

By Natasha Robin | WVUE | September 14, 2022 NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – According to data from the Metropolitan Crime Commission, gun violence in New Orleans has sent 584 people to the hospital this year. Of those injured, the MCC says 208 of them died since Jan. 1. “Since 2019, homicides are up 140%. Shootings…

By Joseph Cranney & Blake Peterson | NOLA.com | September 11, 2022 Two weeks after Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams was acquitted on federal tax evasion charges, he made headlines for another reason: He accepted a side job with the law firm that successfully defended him in his criminal trial. Williams might not end up joining Schonekas, Evans, McGoey…

By Mike Perlstein | WWL-TV | September 8, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS — From almost the day she took office, Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson has been hit by one crisis after another, from an inmate’s death in a fight, to a suicide, to a standoff with inmates who took over an entire…

By Natasha Robin | WVUE | September 7, 2022 NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Since Monday (Sept. 5), seven carjackings unfolded across New Orleans. “This city is like the wild wild west,” says Richard Launey. One of the latest incidents happened in the 3000 block of St. Claude Avenue where police say a carjacker pulled a…

By Erika Ferrando | WWL-TV | September 7, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS — In seven separate cases overnight Monday, victims were approached by armed men trying to steal their cars. NOPD is investigating three carjackings, two attempted carjackings, an armed robbery where a car was stolen, and an armed robbery where suspects tried…

By Shay O’Connor | WDSU | September 7, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO A violent Labor Day weekend in New Orleans with a string of carjackings left people across the city on edge. The Metropolitan Crime Commission reports at least four carjackings Monday. Including one near Monkey Hill Bar on Magazine Street at about 10 p.m.…

By Olivia Vidal | WVUE | September 7, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – A violent Labor Day weekend and a fatal double shooting Tuesday afternoon (Sept. 6) have pushed New Orleans’ homicide count beyond the total number recorded in 2020. There have been 205 homicides in New Orleans so far this year according to the latest data…

By Shay O’Connor | WDSU | September 7, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO A violent Labor Day weekend in New Orleans with a string of carjackings left people across the city on edge. The Metropolitan Crime Commission reports at least four carjackings Monday. Including one near Monkey Hill Bar on Magazine Street at about 10 p.m.…

By Natasha Robin | WVUE | September 7, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Since Monday (Sept. 5), seven carjackings unfolded across New Orleans. “This city is like the wild wild west,” says Richard Launey. One of the latest incidents happened in the 3000 block of St. Claude Avenue where police say a…

By Lee Zurik & Dannah Sauer | WVUE | September 7, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Emails from FOX 8 News to the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office go unanswered. Those emails asked if Sheriff Susan Hutson overpaid one of her former top employees. “I think it flies in the face of what…

By Matt Sledge & John Simerman | NOLA.com | September 4, 2022 With New Orleans’ murder rate in the red zone and cops fleeing the force, Mayor LaToya Cantrell has dusted off a quarter-century-old playbook: She’s called in the NYPD. Just as former Mayor Marc Morial did when crime and killing engulfed the city in…

By Natasha Robin | WVUE | September 2, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – In the past week, the NOPD investigated more than 10 homicides bringing the total murder count to 198 so far this year. “Carjackings are up 7 percent and armed robberies are up 42 percent,” says Rafael Goyeneche. Rafael Goyeneche…

By Aubrey Killon | WDSU | September 1, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS — New documents raise questions over consulting work done for the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office. Kyshun Webster, the former Juvenile Justice Center director for the city of New Orleans, did a few weeks of consulting work for Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan…

By Paul Murphy | WWL-TV | August 30, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS — In a story first reported by our partners at the Times Picayune, New Orleans Advocate, New Orleans Mayor Latoya Cantrell may be on the hook for close to $30,000 in air travel upgrades. Travel documents obtained by WWL-TV show Cantrell,…

By Natasha Robin | WVUE | August 30, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – The New Orleans Police Department’s average response time is getting worse as the department continues to face a critical manpower shortage. “The average is roughly 30 minutes, but if you’re in some districts, it’s like 40 or 50 minutes,”…

By Mike Perlstein | WWL-TV | August 30, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS — The beginning of the end of Kyshun Webster’s tenure as the director of city’s juvenile jail was marked by accusations that he was rarely at the lockup, heavy-handed leadership when he was there, and numerous instances of violence, including the…

By Lee Zurik & Dannah Sauer | WVUE | August 30, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – A political analyst says an office that promised transparency and accountability was dishonest in a response to Fox 8. “It doesn’t make sense. You know, it doesn’t pass the smell test,” said Dillard University public policy…

By Anthony McAuley | NOLA.com | August 23, 2022 A New Orleans-based commodities and fuel storage firm has given The Nola Coalition advocacy group a donation of $1 million, the alliance’s largest contribution so far as it campaigns for a new strategy to deal with violent crime in the city. International-Matex Tank Terminals’ Chief Executive…

By Morgan Lentes | WDSU | August 23, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO The Mayor’s Office of Gun Violence Prevention has been working to combat crime in New Orleans for just over a year. The office, which was created in April 2021, is run by director Patrick Young. He spoke exclusively with WDSU on Monday about…

By Kim Chatelain | NOLA.com | August 23, 2022 The Nola Coalition, advocacy group formed last month to attack the city’s violent crime problem, has received a $1 million donation from a New Orleans-based commodities and fuel storage company. International-Matex Tank Terminals’ Chief Executive Carlin Conner said his firm put up the money because it sees crime as…

WWL Radio | Audacy | August 22, 2022 CLICK FOR INTERVIEW The Metropolitan Crime Commission says a pause in the violent crime in New Orleans was short-lived. “Relatively quiet week until this past weekend – since Friday, TWELVE people have been injured in ten shooting incidents, at least one of whom has died,” the MCC…

By Mike Perlstein | WWL-TV | August 16, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS — The riot by the Orleans Justice Center inmates in Block 2E over the weekend forced Sheriff Susan Hutson to resort to a very rarely used call for help. “As a last resort we conducted a joint operation with the (State)…

By Josh Roberson | WVUE | August 13, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Hoping to put a dent in the city’s rampant gun violence, New Orleans city councilman Freddie King III and others hosted a citywide firearm buy-back event Saturday (Aug. 13) at St. Stephen’s Baptist Church in Algiers. Residents lined up…

By Billy Sinclair | The Crime Report | August 12, 2022 This is a tale of two men who, as teenagers, committed crimes of murder. One is black, the other is white. Henry is the black teenager; Andrew, the white teenager. Their cases are about the failure of justice in the Louisiana criminal justice system.…

By Mike Perlstein | WWL-TV | August 8, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS — When Kyshun Webster was named director of New Orleans’ juvenile jail, questions already swirled about his fitness for the job. Years earlier, Webster’s non-profit education program for youngsters was flagged by federal auditors when nearly $1 million was unaccounted for.…

By Anna McAllister | WGNO | August 5, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — Violence continues to cast a shadow on the City of New Orleans. Thursday evening two separate shootings in the Lower Ninth Ward left two men dead and another man injured. The first happened at the intersection of Lamanche and…

By Natasha Robin | WVUE | August 5, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – In a case that Orleans District Attorney Jason Williams prosecuted himself, along with two other ADAs and a jury found Damond Scott guilty of second-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder and obstruction of justice. “This was an incident that rocked…

By Mike Perlstein | WWL-TV | August 5, 2022 When Kyshun Webster was named director of New Orleans’ juvenile jail, questions swirled about his fitness for the job. Years earlier, Webster’s nonprofit education program for youngsters was flagged by federal auditors when nearly $1 million was unaccounted for. The audit also noted extravagant personal spending…

By Danae Columbus | Uptown Messenger | August 4, 2022 Growing up in a small Arkansas town, I was around guns frequently. I spent many an hour watching my cousins who were national skeet shooting champions. One of them, a female, is still ranked on the national circuit. I knew that guns were for hunting…

WDSU Digital Team | August 4, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO The Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office is investigating multiple stabbings in one week at the Orleans Parish Justice Center. The center confirmed four stabbing incidents happened at the jail over eight days. The center issued the following statement regarding the stabbings: “Today, the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s…

By Eli Brand | WDSU | August 2, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS — The New Orleans Police Department has hired five new crime scene investigators. This increases their investigators from nine up to 14. They say this will help them cut down evidence processing times and help with burnout in the department. “Think…

Department of Justice U.S. Attorney’s Office Eastern District of Louisiana Monday, August 1st, 2022 NEW ORLEANS –  The  United States  Attorney’s Office announced that former Louisiana State Senator and Chair of State Political Party “A”, KAREN CARTER PETERSON, age 52, from New Orleans, Louisiana, pleaded guilty as charged today before United States District Judge Sarah…

By Natasha Robin | WVUE | August 1, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – With a film crew in tow, Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams returned to a courthouse as a prosecutor instead of a defendant on Monday (Aug. 1). “I’m ready to get back in the courtroom and try a case…

By James Finn & Lea Skene | The Advocate | July 30, 2022 Long before the murder-suicide, Van Hopkins had been warned. His own business partner accused him of running his ankle-monitoring business in a way that risked “failing to actually supervise people.” Hopkins, at least a decade into his career, was familiar with the…

By Kenny Lopez | WGNO | July 29, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WGNO)— Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams was acquitted on all charges of Federal tax fraud in court yesterday. Now Williams is expected to return to work after the two work hiatus. WGNO’s Kenny Lopez talked to The Metropolitan Crime Commission…

By Anna McAllister | WGNO | July 25, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) —”I have saved more lives and protected myself and others more with a tourniquet or a trauma kit than I have with a firearm,” said Brannon LeBouef. Because LeBouef was at the right place at the right time Sunday night,…

By Olivia Vidal | WVUE | July 25, 2022 CLICK FOR INTERVIEW NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – The Metropolitan Crime Commission reports the number of shootings in New Orleans is up 104 percent through seven months this year compared to all of 2019. Homicide totals are up 139 percent. “Violent crime in this city continues to…

Department of Justice U.S. Attorney’s Office Eastern District of Louisiana Thursday, July 21st, 2022 NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced today that STACIE WHEATEN (“S. WHEATEN”), age 51, of Fairburn, Georgia, pled guilty on July 21, 2022 to count one (1) of her indictment, charging Conspiracy to Commit Mail Fraud in violation of Title 18,…

Department of Justice U.S. Attorney’s Office Eastern District of Louisiana Thursday, July 21st, 2022 NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that LARRY WILLIAMS (“WILLIAMS”), age 49, of New Orleans, was sentenced today for Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371, arising out of a staged…

By LBJ | WGNO | July 20, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WGNO)— Facial recognition software for the NOPD is back on the table. Many business and neighborhood leaders, fed up with violent crime, support the technology, in spite of criticism that it violates privacy rights. Tomorrow, the city council is set to vote…

By Fox 8 Staff | WVUE | July 19, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO BATON ROUGE, La. (WVUE) – About half of the juvenile inmates at the troubled Bridge City Center for Youth will be transferred within the next month to a special wing being prepared at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, Gov. John Bel…

By David Jones | WVUE | July 18, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO BRIDGE CITY, La. (WVUE) – Governor John Bel Edwards will address the future of the troubled Bridge City Center for Youth on Tuesday (July 19), with sources confirming to Fox 8 those plans include quickly reducing the number of violent offenders housed at…

By Michael Lee | Fox News | July 18, 2022 New Orleans business owners are fed up with the rise in crime in the city, which has seen its murder rate spike to highs unseen in almost three decades. “I think there is a lot of people that have worked in the French Quarter and…

By Nick Chrastil | The Lens | July 15, 2022 More than two years after he was federally indicted on charges of tax fraud, Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams is set to go to trial on Monday, the outcome of which has the potential to upend the criminal legal system in New Orleans. If convicted…

By Rob Masson | WVUE | July 14, 2022 NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – A mother has been issued a municipal summons after another two-year-old was shot in New Orleans East Wednesday night. The boy was just the latest victim in a string of shootings involving children, and community concern is growing. “We somehow dropped the ball in…

Department of Justice U.S. Attorney’s Office Eastern District of Louisiana Thursday, July 14th, 2022 NEW ORLEANS –  The  United States  Attorney’s Office announced that former Louisiana State Senator and Chair of State Political Party “A”, KAREN CARTER PETERSON, age 52, from New Orleans, Louisiana, was charged today in a one-count bill of information with wire fraud,…

By Sabrina Wilson | WVUE | July 12, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – The public outcry over violent crime has brought together a broad coalition of people to tackle the problem. They said Tuesday (July 12) they hope to help the New Orleans Police Department and also address the root causes of…

By Anthony McAuley | NOLA.com | July 12, 2022 In an effort to pressure the city’s elected officials to act more aggressively, nearly 180 New Orleans-area businesses, civic organizations and activists announced Tuesday they have banded together to craft their own plan to combat the unrelenting surge of violent crime, which they believe will send…

By Mike Perlstein | WWL-TV | July 9, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS — It was broad daylight on Feb. 12 when police say April Butler, 36, shot a woman in both hips in an auto parts store parking lot, narrowly missing a 7-year-old boy. Butler was quickly arrested, and is now awaiting trial…

By Jillian Kramer | NOLA.com | July 9, 2022 Revolutionaries and martyrs look down from the walls of Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams’ office: An innocent 14-year-old Black boy who was boosted on books to fit into the electric chair that killed him. An abolitionist deemed unhinged for taking up arms to fight slavery.…

Letters to the Editor | The Advocate | July 7, 2022 Covering the crime problem in one article is “Mission Impossible.” I will address three organizations that, hopefully, have universal appeal and will attract the collective involvement of individuals to make a difference in the quality of life in our city. I hope that many…

By Jamiles Lartey | Louisiana Illuminator | July 6, 2022 This article was published in partnership between The Marshall Project and  NBC News. NEW ORLEANS — Fatima Muse still reaches for the phone to call her godmother, before remembering she’s not there to pick up. Portia Pollock was stabbed to death in front of her home in…

By Jasmine Baehr | Fox News | July 1, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s city could be on its way to record-setting crime as violence plagues blue cities nationwide. She is the latest to follow the pattern of Democratic leadership laid out by mayors like Eric Adams of New York, Lori…

By Kenny Lopez | WGNO | July 1, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — We are nearly halfway through 2022 and so far more than 150 people have been killed in New Orleans, that means we’ve had fewer than 30 days go by without a homicide. In June alone the number of homicides…

By Erika Ferrando | WWL-TV | June 30, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS — A woman is in critical condition after being shot while driving on I-10 Wednesday near the Carrollton exit. NOPD investigators believe she was likely targeted and deliberately shot. Police still don’t know the motive. This marks the 13th shooting on…

By Natasha Robin | WVUE | June 27, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Violent crime plagued New Orleans again over the weekend. Police investigated multiple homicides, shootings, and 10 different armed robberies. On Sun., June 26, police say three robberies happened back-to-back in the Marigny. In each of the cases, police say…

By Natasha Robin | WVUE | June 23, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Chief Ferguson decided to make a plea to the public after what he calls a concerning trend of negligent homicides. Wednesday evening (June 22), a 2-year-old boy died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in the 8600 block of Apple…

By Mid-City Messenger | June 22, 2022 A woman was carjacked near the Lafitte Greenway on Tuesday afternoon (June 21), the New Orleans Police Department reported. She was walking to her vehicle in the 2100 block of Lafitte Street at about 3:55 p.m. when a man approached her from behind. He grabbed the keys from…

By WDSU Digital Team | WDSU | June 22, 2022 NEW ORLEANS — The Metropolitan Crime Commission has added a new data set to their Orleans crime trends that they routinely track. The commission unveiled new district-level crime statistics. The commission will update these statistics weekly. The data shows crime in New Orleans broken down…

By Mykal Vincent | WVUE | June 22, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Two people were killed and a third was injured in two separate overnight shootings in New Orleans, police say. According to the New Orleans Police Department, two men were gunned down just before 11 p.m. Tues., June 21 in…

By Kiran Chawla | Unfiltered with Kiran | June 21, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO Sgt. John Dauthier was placed on administrative leave on Monday, June 20, 2022. “Yesterday, for reasons unknown and undisclosed, John was put on administrative leave by BRPD,” said Dauthier’s attorney Cliff Ivey. “This came just moments after a meeting I had…

By Natasha Robin | WVUE | June 21, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Mayor LaToya Cantrell says addressing crime is the city’s top priority. Meanwhile, crime victims say they’re fed up, and in some cases, ready to leave the city. “I feel like I am the crisis mayor,” Cantrell said. “For four…

By Natasha Robin | WVUE | June 20, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – After three of his vehicles were broken into in a matter of weeks, a man living on St. Charles Avenue decided to hire his own armed security, who was also victimized. “It’s concerning to think that we have this…

By David Jones | WVUE | June 17, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – It’s no secret that New Orleans struggles with violent crime, but new statistics paint a grim picture of the Crescent City being on pace to be the murder capital of the United States if trends don’t change in 2022.…

By Kevin Gallagher | LouisianaRadioNetwork.com | June 16, 2022 A crime & corruption watchdog group calls for review of a Tangipahoa Parish case wherein a rape victim was ordered to pay child support to her alleged attacker. Metropolitan Crime Commission director Rafael Goyeneche says the victim was just 16 when the attack occurred, and the…

By John Simerman | NOLA.com | June 16, 2022 Public confidence in the New Orleans Police Department has nosedived, while a dwindling minority of residents feels the city is safe, according to a newly released survey from the New Orleans Crime Coalition. The rising sense of peril and frustration with police crossed neighborhoods, races and…

By David Jones | WVUE | June 15, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson again dodged FOX 8′s cameras Wednesday afternoon, declining to speak to the news outlet following her presentation to the city council on the events that transpired at the jail over the weekend. Two inmates…

By Matt Sledge | NOLA.com | June 15, 2022 The New Orleans Police Department has moved patrol officers to 12-hour shifts and hopes to lure cops from other agencies to reduce 911 response times and stem violent crime, Superintendent Shaun Ferguson said Wednesday.   Five months after Ferguson faced a grilling during a carjacking surge,…

By Meg Farris | WWL-TV | June 14, 2022 The Metropolitan Crime Commission says a lot went wrong when Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson made the decision to pull deputies from the courthouse on Monday, forcing the court’s closure. “There’s actually a Louisiana law that mandates that every sheriff has to provide court security, so she…

By FOX 8 Staff | WVUE | June 14, 2022 NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Two men who died in the Orleans Parish Justice Center have been identified by the parish coroner’s office. One man, identified as Philip Soublet Jr., was killed in a jailhouse brawl while awaiting trial for second-degree murder. Officials say Soublet died…

By Jillian Kramer | NOLA.com | June 14, 2022 Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson, who said this week that a critical staffing shortage played a role in the weekend deaths of two men held at the Orleans Justice Center, would not provide information Tuesday on jail staffing levels, saying it could pose a new security…

By Roby Chavez | PBS |  June 14, 2022 NEW ORLEANS – Moments after Morris Jeff Community School’s graduation ceremony ended May 31, gunshots pierced the air. The crowd of students, many still in caps and gowns, and family members scattered. Some attendees fell to the ground as the joyful moment turned deadly for members…

By Chris Nakamoto | WBRZ | June 14, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO PONCHATOULA – A corruption watchdog told WBRZ Tuesday he’s requesting an outside law enforcement entity to come in and review the case where a rape victim was ordered to pay her perpetrator child support. Less than 24 hours after the WBRZ Investigative Unit…

By Missy Wilkinson | NOLA.com | June 14, 2022 A man sitting in his pickup truck in Mid-City was yanked from the vehicle by a carjacker Monday afternoon, New Orleans police said. Police responded to the carjacking at the intersection of South Murat and Banks streets at around 5:14 p.m. They said that after the…

By Jackie Galli | Mid-City Messenger | June 14, 2022 Bianka Lebeouf was putting up fliers this weekend with her children for a neighborhood public safety meeting when she heard gunshots. One of the shots she heard resulted in a man’s death. Those gunshots were just one of several incidents Lebeouf experienced this past weekend;…

By LBJ & Anna McAllister | WGNO | June 13, 2022 NEW ORLEANS (WGNO)— After the Orleans Parish Criminal Court closed its doors on Monday, local officials were questioned about why. WGNO’s LBJ spoke with Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson for an exclusive insight on the court’s operations and what role law enforcement plays. And,…

By Michael Perlstein | WWL-TV | June 13, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS — After a fight involving four inmates at the Orleans Justice Center on Friday that left one inmate dead and two in the hospital, followed by an inmate suicide on Sunday, Sheriff Susan Hutson announced she was pulling deputies from criminal court…

By Rob Masson | WVUE | June 13, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – A courthouse shutdown, implemented by newly-elected Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson, caught many off guard Monday morning. Criminal court judges said they were shocked on Sunday when they learned of Hutson’s decision to pull deputies from courthouse security to…

By Kaitlin Rust | WVUE | June 10, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO There have been at least 11 murders in just the past five days across New Orleans. We’re now up to at least 135 homicides this year as police start 12-hour shifts to try to fight back. “It’s disheartening, first and foremost,” NOPD Chief…

By Kenny Kuhn | WWL | June 10, 2022 CLICK FOR INTERVIEW The violence continues in New Orleans with four people shot dead in less than 12 hours says the New Orleans Police Department. It started Thursday evening when two people were shot dead in the 1900 block of O’Reilly Street in the 7th Ward.…

By James Finn and John Simerman | The Advocate | June 9, 2022 The U.S. Department of Justice on Thursday announced a major civil rights investigation of Louisiana State Police over troopers’ use of excessive force and claims of racially biased policing — the kind of intensive federal probe that often lands police agencies under…

By Janon Fisher | Daily Mail | June 9, 2022 A New Orleans city councilman is suggesting bringing in reinforcements as crime in the city spikes, homicides are on track to reach record highs and the police force struggles with chronic understaffing. ‘Maybe it’s time to talk about bringing in the National Guard,’ District E Councilman Oliver…

By Shay O’Connor | WDSU | June 8, 2022 New Orleans had a violent start on Tuesday night. At least three shootings overnight. One along Louisa Street where one man was shot, another shooting along Aviators Street where a man and woman were hit. One also along Franklin Avenue and Royal Street in front of…

By Gregory Rusovich | The Advocate | June 8, 2022 “The French Quarter is disgusting,” shouted a recent Times-Picayune headline quoting a local worker. For years, French Quarter residents and leaders have been howling about the crumbling streets, pervading stench, aggressive panhandlers, uncontrolled homelessness, rampant graffiti, a general sense of lawlessness and surging violent crime.…

By Chris Miller | WWL | June 7, 2022 CLICK FOR INTERVIEW How can NOPD deal with surging violence and wanton disregard for the law like many in New Orleans witnessed Sunday? It will likely take a lot of creative thinking. New Orleans Metropolitan Crime Commission President Rafael Goyeneche says there is no short-term fix,…

By John Simerman | NOLA.com | June 6, 2022 Oris Buckner III, a former New Orleans Police Department officer who broke ranks in the early 1980’s to help convict three other detectives for brutalizing residents in the notorious “Algiers 7” civil rights case, died Wednesday in Houston, where he lived. He was 70. Buckner, who…

By Ken Daley | WVUE | June 6, 2022 NEW ORLEANS – A person was found slain Monday morning (June 6) in a far eastern section of New Orleans, police said. The NOPD offered scant details of the killing, declining to reveal the victim’s identity, age or gender in an initial public bulletin. The department…

By Louisiana Weekly | June 6, 2022 The heart-wrenching murder of Mrs. Augustine Greenwood, 80, in Xavier University’s Convocation Center parking lot last Tuesday is the last damn straw! The mother of six and grandmother to 15 was there to witness her grandson, Corey Lashley Jr., graduate from Morris Jeff High School. They walked to…

By Will Weissert and Zeke Miller | Associated Press | June 3, 2022 WASHINGTON – ”Enough, enough!” President Joe Biden exclaimed over and over Thursday night, as he delivered an impassioned address to the nation imploring Congress to take action against gun violence after mass shootings he said had turned schools and other everyday places…

By Joshua Arnold | LifeNews.com | June 3, 2022 When states are red, but cities are blue, abortion battles begin anew. Fearful that the Supreme Court will overturn Roe v. Wade and send abortion policy back to the states, some pro-abortion officials in some progressive cities are preparing to draw it down to the local…

By Kenny Kuhn | WWL | June 2, 2022 CLICK FOR AUDIO In less than 12 hours, eight people were shot in New Orleans from Wednesday afternoon to early this morning as violent crime continues to rise out of control. According to New Orleans police reports, one man was shot on the edge of the…

By Gerald Herbert | Associated Press | June 1, 2022 NEW ORLEANS (AP) — An elderly woman was killed and two males wounded when an argument between two females erupted into gunfire Tuesday at a university campus after a high school graduation there, New Orleans police said. The males received wounds that were not life-threatening…

By Natasha Robin | WVUE | May 27, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO The NOPD says it has a plan to address crime. Starting June 1, next Wednesday, patrol officers will go on 12 hours shifts. The NOPD believes this will help to be more proactive and have officers visible on the street. On top of…

By Jim Mustian and Jake Bleiberg | AP | May 27, 2022 BATON ROUGE, La. — With racial tensions still simmering over the killing of George Floyd, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards and his top lawyers gathered in a state police conference room in October 2020 to prepare for the fallout from a troubling case closer to…

By Kevin Gallagher | Louisiana Radio Network | May 27, 2022 Research website “GunViolenceArchive.org” reports Louisiana leads the nation in mass shootings per capita. Just this calendar year alone, there have been 16 mass shootings that killed 9 people and injured 79 others. New Orleans Metropolitan Crime Commission director Rafael Goyeneche says gang activity &…

Department of Justice U.S. Attorney’s Office Eastern District of Louisiana Thursday, May 26th, 2022 NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced today that on May 25, 2022 DONIESHA GIBSON (“GIBSON”), age 31, of New Orleans, Louisiana and ERICA LEE THOMPSON (“ERICA LEE”), age 47, of Harvey, Louisiana, were sentenced for Conspiracy…

By Mike Perlstein | WWL-TV | May 25, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS — Some shootings and killings in New Orleans have been etched into the city’s collective memory. Three killed and seven wounded at Jazz Daquiris on Claiborne in 2018. Seventeen wounded at Bunny Friend Playground in 2015. Nineteen shot at the Mother’s…

By Kaitlin Rust | WVUE | May 25, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Louisiana leads the entire nation in mass shootings per capita according to the Gun Violence Archive. 79 people have been injured and 9 killed in 16 mass shootings so far this year. To put that in perspective, Texas had…

BY MISSY WILKINSON | NOLA.com | MAY 23, 2022 The New Orleans coroner on Monday released the names of three people slain during a violent weekend that included two mass shootings — one in the Lower 9th Ward on Friday night, which wounded four people, one fatally, and one in the Central Business District early…

By Natasha Robin | WVUE | May 23, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Since the weekend began Friday at 4 p.m., 15 people have been wounded by gunfire in nine different shootings across New Orleans. Four of those victims died. “The fact that it can happen anywhere on any street makes it…

By Natasha Robin | WVUE | May 19, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO When it comes to homicides in New Orleans, the number of female victims has increased every year since 2019, when 15 women were killed. In 2020, 28 women were slain and in 2021 the number rose to 33. One of the most high-profile…

By Victor Skinner | The Center Square | May 19, 2022 Legislation to increase the penalty for carjackers who cause serious injury has cleared the Louisiana House and could soon head to Gov. John Bel Edwards for final approval. Senate Bill 161, sponsored by Sen. Kirk Talbot, R-River Ridge, was presented for a vote on the…

By Mike Perlstein | WWL-TV | May 18, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO The vast majority of violent felony prosecutions in New Orleans last year ended with dismissal or plea to a lesser charge, WWL-TV revealed Tuesday in its investigative report “Discounted Justice.” The story got quite a response, and among those who reacted was New Orleans…

BY KASEY BUBNASH | NOLA.com | MAY 18, 2022 Two men killed within about one block and three days of each other in the St. Claude area were identified Wednesday by the Orleans Parish coroner’s office as Dwan Carson, 27, and Maurice Motten, 31. Carson was shot dead Friday in the 4200 block of North…

By Mike Perlstein | WWL-TV | May 18, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO In 2020, Horace Toppins was already on New Orleans Police radar as a frequent domestic abuser, with a fresh warrant out for his arrest. Seventh District officers were serving that warrant in April that year when Toppins opened fire, shooting officer Kevin Doucette…

By Aubry Killion | WDSU | May 16, 2022 NEW ORLEANS — The city of New Orleans has surpassed more than 100 murders this year. New Orleans has recorded 110 homicides as of Monday morning. This is the fastest the city has reached 100 murders since before Hurricane Katrina. According to the Metropolitan Crime Commission, the last…

BY MISSY WILKINSON and CARLIE KOLLATH WELLS | NOLA.com | MAY 16, 2022 A 31-year-old man was killed in a shooting Monday morning in the Musicians’ Village area of St. Claude, New Orleans police said. It’s the second homicide in the area in less than a week. On Friday, a person was killed a block away…

By Meg Gatto | WVUE | May 12, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO Every day in New Orleans someone becomes a crime victim. The violence touches every neighborhood and affects all walks of life. Carjackings, armed robberies, and murders are happening at an alarming rate in New Orleans and sometimes the crimes can have more than just…

By Charisse Gibson | WWL-TV | May 11, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO Violent crime in New Orleans has unfortunately left many families with a familiar feeling – a feeling of devastation and loss. While some arrests have been made in homicide cases, giving families some closure, others are left in the dark. That’s the case…

By Ken Daley | WVUE | May 11, 2022 NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – A man was shot to death in the Seventh Ward on Tuesday night (May 10), New Orleans police said. The NOPD said the 58-year-old victim, whose identity has not been disclosed, was shot multiple times around 10:23 p.m. near the corner of…

By JOSEPH CRANNEY and FAIMON A. ROBERTS III | NOLA.com | MAY 11, 2022 Months before Kenner’s abrupt and controversial decision in 2020 to replace its long-term garbage collector with IV Waste, a top city official helped the company secure a separate contract with a city-supported agency by sharing a competitor’s quote. Top Kenner administrator Chad…

By WDSU Digital Team | May 9, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS — Residents in the New Orleans Metro area have a chance to help solve crimes and get paid an extra $1,000 for doing it. Crimestoppers announced the new initiative to solve violent crimes at a news conference Monday. The program offers $1,000…

By Kaitlin Rust | WVUE | May 9, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – The Orleans Parish District Attorney and New Orleans Police Chief respond for the first time to last Friday’s mass shooting, the second mass shooting in just a week’s time. “This is excellent police work, working through the night, responding…

By John Simerman & Missy Wilkinson | NOLA.com | May 5, 2022 Police say it was months of deadly tit-for-tat between well-armed groups on either side of the Mississippi River that reached Magazine Street last Friday night, in a roll-up gun attack that left six people shot at Balcony Bar. As details emerge on the man…

By David Jones | WVUE | April 29, 2022 CLICK FOR LINK NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – A man who was gunned down Thursday evening while walking home in the Irish Channel marks the city’s 92nd homicide victim since the start of the year. If the trends continue, New Orleans could be looking at its bloodiest…

Department of Justice U.S. Attorney’s Office Eastern District of Louisiana Thursday, April 28th, 2022 NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced today that DAVID BROWN (“BROWN”), age 50, of Morgan City, pled guilty on April 27, 2022 to Count One (1) of his indictment, charging him with Conspiracy to Commit Mail…

Department of Justice U.S. Attorney’s Office Eastern District of Louisiana Wednesday, April 27th, 2022 NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced today that DONISESHA LEE, a/k/a DONISHA LEE (“DONISHA LEE”), age 32, of Harvey, Louisiana, was sentenced today for Conspiracy to Commit Mail Fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States…

By Morgan Lentes | WDSU | April 27, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS — The year is off to a violent start in New Orleans, according to data compiled by the Metropolitan Crime Commission. A recent report by the organization found that armed robberies, carjackings, homicides and shootings have all increased year-over-year. President Rafael…

Department of Justice U.S. Attorney’s Office Eastern District of Louisiana Wednesday, April 20th, 2022 NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced today that CHANDRIKA BROWN (“BROWN”), age 31, and AISHA THOMPSON (“THOMPSON”), age 44, both of New Orleans, Louisiana, were sentenced today for Conspiracy to Commit Mail Fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371,…

Department of Justice U.S. Attorney’s Office Eastern District of Louisiana Wednesday, April 20th, 2022 NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that KEISHIRA ROBINSON (“K. ROBINSON”), age 27, of New Orleans, Louisiana was sentenced today for Conspiracy to Commit Mail Fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371, arising out of her…

Department of Justice U.S. Attorney’s Office Eastern District of Louisiana Thursday, April 14th, 2022 NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced today that GILDA HENDERSON (“HENDERSON”), age 69, of Morgan City, pled guilty on April 13, 2022, to Count one (1) of her indictment, charging Conspiracy to Commit Mail Fraud in…

By Gary Forster (Contributing Columnist) | The Advocate | April 13, 2022 New Orleans is under attack. Gangsters running thugs, especially repeat offenders, are having their way with a dysfunctional criminal justice system. At least 18 people were shot over last weekend, and six have died. It’s been 10 years since New Orleans has had…

By Anna McAllister | WGNO | April 12, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS — A bouquet of flowers and balloons sits outside of a home on the 1200 block of Sumner Street, where 63-year-old Kenneth Faggin took his last breath. His family, beside themselves in grief after learning he was gunned down on Friday. “He…

By Amanda Roberts | WVUE | April 12, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Planning a retirement trip around the country, Terence and Barbara Curren said they couldn’t leave New Orleans off the itinerary. “We scheduled taking a riverboat from Memphis down to New Orleans,” said Terence Curren. They met family in the…

By Erika Ferrando | WWL-TV | April 11, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS — Violent crime has been rising every year in New Orleans since 2019, according to the Metropolitan Crime Commission. According to NOPD, carjackings are up 47 percent between 2021 and 2022. There have been 114 carjacking calls for service since the…

By Andrés Fuentes | WVUE | April 7, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – A bill that will keep mugshots private until a court is able to secure a criminal conviction passed in the Louisiana House of Representatives and is now heading to the Senate. New Orleans representative Royce Duplessis said releasing mugshots…

Department of Justice U.S. Attorney’s Office Eastern District of Louisiana Wednesday, April 6th, 2022 NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that former long-time St. Tammany Parish Sheriff RODNEY J. STRAIN (a/k/a Jack Strain), age 56, from Abita Springs, Louisiana, was sentenced today to 120 months imprisonment by United States District Judge Jane…

By Peyton LoCicero Trist | WGNO | April 5, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WGNO)- “Alarming” is how most Orleans Parish residents are describing the recent spike in crime. Just about every day there are reports of shootings, murders, and carjackings. The Metropolitan Crime Commission keeps a watchful eye on what is happening in…

Department of Justice U.S. Attorney’s Office Eastern District of Louisiana Friday, April 1st, 2022 NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced today that ASHLEY McGOWAN (“McGOWAN”), age 35, agreed to plead guilty on March 31, 2022 to Count One (1) in her indictment, charging Conspiracy to Commit Mail Fraud in violation of Title 18, United…

By Andrea Gallo | The Advocate | March 31, 2022 Over the last 15 years, Attorney General Jeff Landry has funneled more than $420,000 from his campaign war chest into a staffing company that he owns, an unusual arrangement that circumvents the common practice of political figures around the state and ensures the public does not know…

By Chris Nakamoto | WBRZ | March 30, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO BATON ROUGE – A State Police Commission member is under investigation as part of an inquiry into questionable extra duty by police officers in New Orleans. The State Police Commission oversees troopers’ employment and manages discipline. The commission meets monthly in Baton Rouge. New…

By Peter Finney Jr. | Clarion Herald | March 29, 2022 Overlaid on a map of the city of New Orleans, the color-coded circles with skull-and-bones on Rafael Goyeneche’s computer screen are a nightmare canvas of 21st-century homicidal pointillism. In 1994, the city of New Orleans’ murder spree, fueled by drug warlords, produced 424 homicides,…

By Ken Daley | WVUE | March 29, 2022 NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – One man was killed and another wounded early Tuesday (March 29) in a double shooting near the intersection of South Derbigny and Josephine streets in the Hoffman Triangle neighborhood, police said. The shooting was reported at 3:43 a.m. The NOPD said responding…

By Shay O’Connor | WDSU | March 29, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO In New Orleans, the Metropolitan Crime Commission reports homicides are up by 49% from this time last year. The month of March is seeing an unusual spike with 24 homicides as of March 28. It’s the second-highest total in a month since MCC…

By Holly Matkin | The Police Tribune | March 28, 2022 New Orleans, LA – A New Orleans father has been arrested for allegedly murdering the suspect accused of killing his son as the suspect was on his way to a court hearing last week, according to police. Hollis Carter, 21, was out on bond…

By Anders Anglesey | Newsweek | March 27, 2022 A Louisiana father is alleged to have fatally shot his son’s accused killer in a case of “street justice,” according to police. The New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) said Bokio Johnson, 46, fatally shot and killed one person and left a second injured in a shooting at Chef…

By Rob Masson | WVUE | March 24, 2022 https://www.fox8live.com/2022/03/24/double-murder-suspect-out-bond-was-murdered-while-heading-court/ NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – A crime watchdog raises concerns about the snowball effect of crime, after Wednesday’s murder of a man who was out on bond, in spite of two second-degree murder charges pending against him. Hollis Carter was killed in Gentilly, after his arrest…

By Mike Perlstein | WWL-TV | March 24, 2022 CLICK FOR INTERVIEW NEW ORLEANS — Of the four teenaged defendants who appeared in juvenile court Wednesday after being booked in the fatal carjacking of 73-year-old Linda Frickey, who was dragged to her death Monday afternoon in front of horrified witnesses, 17-year-old John Honore stood out.…

Thursday, March 24th, 2022 NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced today that on March 23, 2022 ISHAIS PRICE (“PRICE”), age 41, of New Orleans, Louisiana, entered a plea of guilty today to Conspiracy to Commit Mail Fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371, before United States…

By Carlie Kollath Wells & Missy Wilkinson | NOLA.com | March 22, 2022 The New Orleans coroner identified five people killed by gunfire recently in New Orleans, including a Bourbon Street bartender. Two teenagers are also among the dead. Over the last seven days, 13 people have been murdered in New Orleans, according to the Metropolitan Crime Commission.…

By Kevin McGill | Associated Press | March 22, 2022 NEW ORLEANS — Four teenagers face murder charges in connection with a carjacking that left a 73-year-old woman dying on a New Orleans street, her arm severed after she was dragged a block by her own car while neighbors looked on helplessly, officials said Tuesday.…

By Mykal Vincent | WVUE | March 21, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – An elderly woman was killed Monday afternoon in Mid City, police say. According to the New Orleans Police Department, the incident happened at the intersection of Bienville and N. Cortez Streets in broad daylight. Family members confirm the victim’s…

March 17th, 2022 NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced today that LATRELL JOHNSON (“JOHNSON”), age 30, of New Orleans, pled guilty on March 16, 2022 to count one (1) of her indictment, charging Conspiracy to Commit Mail Fraud in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371. In exchange,…

By Danae Columbus | Mid-City Messenger | March 17, 2022 Thirteen year-old Byron “Little B” Kelly Jr. was just a normal kid who enjoyed haircuts and football. Kelly’s decision to walk to the corner store Tuesday evening (March 15) inextricably placed him in harm’s way. Unfortunately, Kelly’s life — like those of many other victims of senseless…

By Mike Perlstein | WWL-TV | March 16, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS — Local construction worker Luis Medina, 49, was booked Feb. 3 with attempted aggravated rape and sexual battery. Court records show that a short time later, he was released after posting a $30,000 bail. But the records show that Medina’s release…

By Danae Columbus | Mid-City Messenger | March 11, 2022 District Attorney Jason Williams, who pledged to redesign the city’s justice system so that it “equitably serves all people,” is among the busiest public officials in town. With criminal trials having resumed this week after a long Covid-19 hiatus, Williams is personally arguing a murder case. He…

By Natasha Robin | WVUE | March 10, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – A brazen carjacking unfolds at a New Orleans East gas station, and the manager says it’s happened there more than a dozen times this year. “It made me think, and there weren’t a dozen different perpetrators,” says Rafael Goyeneche.…

By Harrison Golden | WDSU | March 9, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS — Rose Preston spent years fantasizing about getting revenge on the person who killed her husband and mother-in-law in 2003. She felt panicked and alone. Certain triggers still spark unease, like the fact that her wedding anniversary was Tuesday. Ariel Jeanjacques’…

Associated Press | March 8, 2022 NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Jury trials resumed Monday in New Orleans, where they have been suspended for most of the past two years. But the process is slow. More than 12 trials were scheduled Monday, but several were rescheduled and only two had begun choosing juries, The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans…

By Rich Collins | Biz New Orleans | March 8, 2022 CLICK FOR INTERVIEW The New Orleans Police Department is designed to function with more than 1,500 police officers on the force but currently has less than 1,000 patrolling the streets. Rafael Goyeneche, longtime president of the Metropolitan Crime Commission, believes this is one of…

By Meg Farris | WWL-TV | March 7, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS — Victims of violent crimes and those accused of committing them, could finally have their day in court in New Orleans. It’s been two years since there were daily jury trials in Orleans Criminal District Court, but Monday, half of the…

By Ken Daley | WVUE | March 7, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Despite a brief respite during the final days of Carnival season, violent crime in New Orleans continues to surge in 2022, the Metropolitan Crime Commission reported Monday (March 7). The independent watchdog agency’s latest weekly report on city crime trends shows…

By Kaitlin Rust | WVUE | March 2, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – NOPD investigates a shooting spanning two scenes in the Holy Cross Neighborhood and leaves two men hospitalized. NOPD says it started in the 800 block of Gordon Street just before 1:30 p.m. and ended a few blocks away on…

By John Simerman | NOLA.com | February 26, 2022 The son of a state judge in St. Bernard Parish was arrested this week for allegedly punching his girlfriend in the eye, leaving a gash that prompted the judge to drive her to his brother’s plastic surgery clinic for stitches. Eric Bopp Jr., 30, spent two…

By Mike Perlstein | WWL-TV | February 24, 2022 CLICK FOR INTERVIEW NEW ORLEANS — We’ve seen the alarming videos of carjackings in New Orleans. We’ve heard from frustrated and frightened victims. Now, with NOPD carjacking data compiled exclusively by WWL-TV through a public records request, we have a much clearer picture of who is…

By Kiran Chawla | Unfiltered With Kiran | February 23, 2022 A Baton Rouge Police Officer has violated policy twice in two years. The latest one involves the officer admitting to falsifying military orders to take off work. But his discipline appears to be regressive instead of progressive. Is there disparate discipline or preferential treatment…

By Chris Miller | WWL Radio | February 23, 2022 The New Orleans Metropolitan Crime Commission today debuts a new online tool, for tracking the work of the New Orleans District Attorney’s office. “We’re going to be tracking all of the felony arrests made by the police department, and what the screening decisions are, acceptance and refusals…

By Natasha Robin | WVUE | February 21, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – A 31-year-old man accused of stealing an Amazon delivery truck full of packages was previously arrested on similar charges and released earlier this year after the district attorney failed to bring charges. At 2:30 p.m. on Saturday afternoon, an…

By Chris Nakamoto | WBRZ | February 16, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO BATON ROUGE – Seasoned legal experts and auditors told WBRZ Wednesday that Louisiana State Police violated laws when the agency allowed top officials to get their cell phones wiped in the wake of Ronald Greene’s death. “The period for maintaining public records is…

By Ken Daley | WVUE | February 15, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – A defendant charged with first-degree murder had her bond reduced by an Orleans Parish judge from $302,000 to $7,600 on Monday, a decision that District Attorney Jason Williams’ office immediately said it would appeal. Criminal District Court Judge Angel…

By John Simerman & Matt Sledge | NOLA.com | February 15, 2022 When a pregnant employee of McDonald’s was arrested on a 4-year-old domestic violence warrant last week, a prosecutor working for Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams pitched the court on a $100,000 bail. A public defender called it outrageous. Her 23-year-old client wept.…

By David Jones | WVUE | February 15, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell responded Tuesday to the news that five NOPD officers had received federal target letters following the FOX 8 Lee Zurik investigation “Attention to the Details.” The five officers who sources said received the letters are…

By Shay O’Connor | WDSU | February 11, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO Carjackings and robberies have become more of a common occurrence in neighborhoods across New Orleans. With these crimes bleeding into normally safer areas, people are now taking action to stay safe. A report by the Metropolitan Crime Commission shows there has been a…

By David Jones | WVUE | February 10, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Following FOX 8 reporting that showed more than 1,500 accused criminals timed out of either jail or their bond obligations, Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams said he owns the high number of releases and vowed to make changes. Williams called…

By Devin Bartolotta | WWL-TV | February 10, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO LAKEVIEW, La. — The flashing blue lights of police cars have become all too familiar. But in Lakeview Thursday night, they signaled a community coming together against the violent crime surge in New Orleans. Residents met with the Lakeview Crime Prevention District Officers…

By Natasha Robin | WVUE | February 10, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Police are investigating five separate shootings over a 24-hour span in New Orleans. Two people were killed and four were injured in total. According to the Metropolitan Crime Commission, police have investigated more than 55 shootings, 29 classified as…

February 9th, 2022 NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans recently unsealed the indictment of FLORENCE RANDLE (“RANDLE”), age 70, of Gibson; STACIE WHEATEN (“WHEATEN”), age 50, of Atlanta; JOSEPH BREWTON (“BREWTON”), age 56, of Houma; DAVID BROWN (“BROWN”), age 50, of Morgan City; GILDA HENDERSON (“HENDERSON”), age 69, of Morgan City;…

By Missy Wilkinson | NOLA.com | February 8, 2022 Nadia Sanchez was relaxing in her Gentilly home when she heard what she thought was her 11-year-old sister and 12-year-old brother roughhousing in the front yard. She went outside and witnessed her mother being killed. A carjacker had stolen Jeannot Plessy’s SUV and run over her while…

By Travers Mackel | WDSU | February 7, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS — Just days after WDSU Investigates broke the story on a controversial policy inside the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s office, the Metropolitan Crime Commission released its own report on the matter.  WDSU’s story centered on what’s called a “701 release,” which…

By Lee Zurik & Dannah Sauer | WVUE | February 7, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – A recent FOX 8 investigation revealed hundreds of accused criminals essentially timed out of jail or their bond obligations because the District Attorney hadn’t charged them. However, the Metropolitan Crime Commission says the number of releases is much…

By Ken Daley | WVUE | February 7, 2022 NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – A man who died last weekend after being shot in mid-November was among the four latest homicide victims whose identities were revealed Monday (Feb. 7) by the Orleans Parish Coroner’s office. Terrance Jupiter, 51, succumbed Saturday to complications from gunshot wounds incurred…

By Rob Masson | WVUE | February 7, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – A 15-year-old boy was arrested Saturday night after a shooting following a shortened route for the Krewe of Chewbacchus parade. The route was cut in half due to a failure to get police officers to work and other security…

By Michelle Hunter | NOLA.com | February 6, 2022 Major crime in unincorporated Jefferson Parish dropped 12 percent in 2021, with decreases in four of the seven categories of offenses, according to the Sheriff’s Office. It marks the lowest level of crime since the agency began tracking the statistics in 1974, Sheriff Joseph Lopinto III said. “I’m…

By Andrea Gallo | The Advocate | February 4, 2022 Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry failed to report that he received more than $4,000 in travel reimbursements last year within the time period that state public servants are required to submit such expenses to the state’s Ethics Board. Tax forms filed Jan. 31 with the Internal Revenue…

By Missy Wilkinson | NOLA.com | February 3, 2022 New Orleans police responded to two carjackings that happened within five minutes of each other on Wednesday night. In the first month of 2022, carjackings were up from 26 to 50 compared to the same period in 2021, according to data compiled by the Metropolitan Crime Commission. In…

By Danae Columbus | Uptown Messenger | February 3, 2022 Many New Orleanians were disappointed in yesterday’s press conference (Feb. 2) featuring Mayor LaToya Cantrell and NOPD Superintendent Shaun Ferguson. Cantrell correctly described the city’s current crime wave as “domestic terrorism,” a hot buzzword on the national crime scene. Yet instead of hearing a full-fledged plan…

By Martha Sanchez | The Tulane Hullabaloo | February 2, 2022 In 2021, New Orleans Police Department’s second district — which includes Tulane University’s upscale neighborhood — experienced at least 12 reported carjackings. Now, that same area has recorded at least eight since January alone. Four carjackings and one attempted carjacking occurred on Jan. 15.  The Tulane University Police Department issued a notice the following…

By Ken Daley | WVUE | January 31, 2022 NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – A person’s body was discovered inside a vehicle burning in New Orleans East early Sunday (Jan. 30), but New Orleans police have not immediately declared the case a homicide. The NOPD said the person’s identity, gender and age were not immediately known…

By Natasha Robin | WVUE | January 27, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – The NOPD isn’t arresting people for the majority of carjackings across New Orleans, according to recent city council data. While the police department disputes the numbers, one crime watchdog says the arrests shouldn’t reflect on the amount of carjackings…

By David Jones | WVUE | January 26, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – The New Orleans Police Department is looking at reimplementing a “proactive component” to address the city’s rise in incidents of violent crime. Anti-crime advocates expect to see a task force similar to the ones disbanded in 2020. On Tuesday,…

WWL-TV | January 24, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO

By Ken Daley | KNOE | January 24, 2022 NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – As New Orleans’ homicide count climbed to 19 in the first month of 2022, three more victims were identified Monday (Jan. 24) by the Orleans Parish Coroner’s office. Craig Magraff, 34, was the man stabbed to death last Wednesday (Jan. 19) at 1:56 a.m.…

By Olivia Vidal | WVUE | January 21, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Police responded to reports of an armed robbery and car theft on Thursday, January 20 in the 6200 block of Marshal Foch Street in Lakeview. The incident happened shortly after 6 p.m., a busy time of day for the…

By Devin Bartolotta | WWL-TV | January 20, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS — New Orleans is grappling with both a serious crime problem and a cop problem. New Orleans Police Superintendent Sean Ferguson had a tough conversation with City Council Thursday, in which he said the department is getting about half the applications…

By Danae Columbus | Uptown Messenger | January 20, 2022 Every partner in New Orleans criminal justice system is partially responsible for the city’s spiraling crime rate and every partner must do their job to help alleviate it, Councilman at-large J.P. Morrell said on WWL-TV earlier today (Jan. 20). “People are afraid to leave their…

By Fox 8 Staff | WVUE | January 19, 2022 NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – The president of the Police Association of New Orleans penned a letter addressed to the city council where he laid blame for the broken criminal justice system on the district attorney’s office, city administration, and the current police manpower issue. In…

By Site Staff | Biz New Orleans | January 18, 2022 NEW ORLEANS — The Metropolitan Crime Commission — a private, nonprofit watchdog group — will begin issuing a weekly updated crime bulletin including year-to-date changes in major categories of violent crime in Orleans Parish since 2019 (homicide, shooting, carjacking and armed robbery), as well…

By Fox 8 Staff | WVUE | January 18, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – The Metropolitan Crime Commission on Monday (Jan. 17) launched a new weekly New Orleans crime trends bulletin that will allow the public to access data and maps for homicides, shootings, armed robberies and carjackings in the city. The…

By Matt Sledge | NOLA.com | January 18, 2022 Tensions continued to build on Tuesday between New Orleans Police Superintendent Shaun Ferguson and District Attorney Jason Williams ahead of an upcoming special City Council hearing on crime and following a wave of highly publicized carjackings over the weekend. Ferguson is scheduled to sit in the…

By Kaitlin Rust | WVUE | January 18, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Police investigate another armed carjacking Uptown on Freret near Carrollton, an area of the city that saw five carjackings over the weekend. He’s been trying to keep his mind off of it, saying it angers him. He’s still shaken…

By Gregory R. Rusovich | The Advocate | January 17, 2022 New Orleans has become a more dangerous place to live, work and raise a family. Behind each grim crime statistic are many victims. Our quality of life and our city’s viability are at risk, and the New Year presents an opportunity for city leaders…

By Anna McAllister | WGNO | January 17, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — As New Orleans City Council members gathered for a Martin Luther King Jr. memorial service, they vowed to address the issue of crime in their upcoming special meeting. “What you will see from these two meetings this week is…

January 14th, 2022 NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that RYAN WHEATEN (“WHEATEN”), age 54, of Lafayette, Louisiana, was sentenced on January 12, 2022 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…

By Danae Columbus | Uptown Messenger | January 13, 2022 As with most mayors entering a new term, LaToya Cantrell delivered an upbeat message at Monday’s Covid-restricted inauguration on the steps of Gallier Hall: Though New Orleans has endured a tough four years, citizens are resilient, and many opportunities lie ahead. “Our time is now, and…

January 12th, 2022 NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced today that DONISESHA LEE (“DONISHA LEE”), age 30, of Harvey, Louisiana, entered a plea of guilty today to Conspiracy to Commit Mail Fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371, before United States District Court Judge Sarah S.…

By Shay O’Connor | WDSU | January 11, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO The NOPD announced that beginning this week the department will no longer issue citations for small possessions of weed alone in the parish. Monday the people of New Orleans spoke out. Ashana, a New Orleans resident said “It is about time. Marijuana has…

By Natasha Robin | WVUE | January 6, 2022 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Chief Shaun Ferguson said last year the NOPD was presented with several challenges, especially when it comes to police manpower and violent crime. Overall crime was down in 2021, but violent crime went up. Ferguson says we ended 2021…

By Anna McAllister | WGNO | January 4, 2022 CLICK FOR INTERVIEW NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — In less than a week and a half, seven-year-old Dillan Burton was shot and killed in her mother’s car in Algiers, and a one-year-old was shot multiple times, allegedly by his own father, in the Marigny. “Unless and until…

By Natasha Robin & Mykal Vincent | WVUE | December 31, 2021 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Violent crime has taken its toll on New Orleans over the last 12 months. Criminologists worry the increase in violence will continue into 2022. “As bad as 2020 was from a violent crime perspective, 2021 was even worse,”…

By Danae Columbus | Uptown Messenger | December 30, 2021 Year-to-date crime trends in Orleans Parish, Dec. 26, 2019-21. (Metropolitan Crime Commission chart, NOPD data) More than 6,000 new Covid-19 cases were identified in Louisiana on Wednesday (Dec. 29). A teenage boy was injured in the second of two Desire-area shootings Tuesday evening. Three lions…

By Ken Daley | WVUE | December 28, 2021 NEW ORLEANS  – The identities of five recent fatal shooting victims were revealed Tuesday (Dec. 28) by the Orleans Parish Coroner’s office, including that of 7-year-old Dillan Burton, the young girl killed Sunday night while riding in her mother’s car in Algiers. Burton’s family already had…

By Harrison Golden | WDSU | December 27, 2021 CLICK FOR VIDEO An Algiers family faces a task they never imagined: planning a seven-year-old girl’s funeral. The girl, Dillan Burton, was riding in her mother’s car just before 9 p.m. Sunday near Gen. DeGaulle Boulevard when someone shot her. Her mother rushed toward a hospital,…

By WDSU Digital Team | WDSU | December 23, 2021 The New Orleans Police Department said 29 of its officers appear to have violated rules related to off-duty details. The alleged violations amount to 2% of all off-duty details jobs, the NOPD said Wednesday in a statement about its findings. Some officers could potentially be…

By Adam Andrzejewski | Forbes | December 22, 2021 What began as a simple salary data search on officers in the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) has led to a months-long undercover sting operation and has recently ended with cop suspensions, a retirement, and further investigation by the FBI. Now, the Public Integrity Bureau has…

December 16th, 2021 NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced GENETTA ISREAL (“ISREAL”), age 53, of Houston, Texas, was sentenced today for Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371, arising out of staged automobile accidents with tractor-trailers occurring in New Orleans. Thus far,…

By Ben Myers | NOLA.com | December 15, 2021 Edward Michel, New Orleans’ interim inspector general, was permanently appointed Wednesday to the position to root out corruption, waste and abuse in municipal government. He is the fourth permanent appointment since voters agreed to create the Office of Inspector General in 2006. Michel assumed the interim…

By Mike Perlstein | WWL-TV | December 13, 2021 CLICK FOR INTERVIEW NEW ORLEANS — With an average of more than one murder a day so far in December, New Orleans has already surpassed its grim homicide total for 2020 with more than two weeks to go. With two murders over the weekend and another…

By JD Carrere | WWL-TV | December 11, 2021 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS — With 201 murders in the books for 2021, the City of New Orleans has equaled its murder total from 2020. Number 200 happened in the 9th ward around 2:30 in the afternoon. Number 201 less than a half-hour later uptown on…

By Lee Zurik and Cody Lilich | WVUE | December 10, 2021 NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – A senior special agent for the New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board has been suspended without pay after separate investigations by the Office of Inspector General and FOX 8 News questioned the employee’s use of the police detail program.…

By Fox 8 Staff | KALB | December 10, 2021 NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Two people were killed in New Orleans on Fri., Dec. 10, pushing the city to over 200 homicides for the year. First, a man was shot multiple times in the Lower 9th Ward. The shooting happened around 2 p.m. in the…

By Paul Murphy | WWL-TV | December 9, 2021 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS — Homicides, carjackings and non-fatal shootings are all up in New Orleans. Not just for this year, but for the last two years according to Metropolitan Crime Commission President Rafael Goyeneche.  “From 2019 to 2021, carjackings are up over 160 percent,”…

By Chris Nakamoto | WBRZ | December 7, 2021 CLICK FOR INTERVIEW BATON ROUGE- Watchdogs are raising questions about whether a law enforcement officer arrested for domestic violence battery with child endangerment should have been allowed to return to work even though his criminal charges are pending. Colby Burns was arrested last month after a woman…

By Fox 8 Staff | WVUE | December 7, 2021 CLICK FOR INTERVIEW NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Two men were shot and robbed in New Orleans while waiting for police to respond to a crash. According to the New Orleans Police Department, the two men were involved in a crash just before 10 p.m. on…

By Natasha Robin | WVUE | December 7, 2021 CLICK FOR INTERVIEW NEW ORLEANS – Two men got into a crash on the South Clairborne overpass around 9:30 p.m. on Monday. Before police could arrive, three armed men showed up. “Obviously, the suspects were just looking for victims,” says Rafael Goyeneche. The suspects robbed the…

By Mike Perlstein | WWL-TV | December 3, 2021 CLICK FOR INTERVIEW NEW ORLEANS — The mother of New Orleans Criminal Court Judge Robin Pittman was shot and critically wounded Thursday near her home in eastern New Orleans, the apparent victim of stray bullets aimed at someone else, according to witnesses and security camera video…

By David Hammer | WWL-TV | December 2, 2021 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS — After a WWL-TV investigation prompted the FBI to raid the Sewerage & Water Board Plumbing Department in early November, the city blocked the head of that department, Jay Arnold, from getting permits for private gas line repairs and installation jobs.…

Wednesday, December 1st, 2021 NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that former long-time St. Tammany Parish Sheriff RODNEY J. STRAIN (a/k/a Jack Strain), age 56, from Abita Springs, Louisiana, pleaded guilty today before United States District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo to Count 15 of the Indictment returned in August 2019, charging him…

By Ken Daley | WVUE | December 1, 2021 NEW ORLEANS – The city’s 2021 homicide count continued climbing toward 200 on Wednesday (Dec. 1), following a fatal shooting Tuesday night and word that a man shot in Broadmoor on Nov. 16 has died nearly two weeks later. The latest two shooting deaths brought New…

By Kenny Lopez | WGNO | November 23, 2021 CLICK FOR INTERVIEW NEW ORLEANS — According to The Metropolitan Crime Commission since 2019, carjackings are up 170 percent and 28 percent up from 2020.  “Over the last four days here have been at least 7 carjackings. It has gotten progressively worse over the last two…

By Natasha Robin | WVUE | November 19, 2021 CLICK FOR INTERVIEW NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – “This is a grand experiment creating this external agency to the police department. I’m not aware of any other police department in the country that does it in this manner,” says Rafael Goyeneche. It’s an external agency running the…

Wednesday, November 17th, 2021 NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced today that CHANDRIKA BROWN (“BROWN”), age 30, of New Orleans, Louisiana, entered a plea of guilty today to Conspiracy to Commit Mail Fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371, arising out of staged automobile accidents with…

By Lea Skene & John Simerman | NOLA.com | November 11, 2021 Union Parish District Attorney John Belton hadn’t yet seen all of the damning body camera footage of Louisiana State Police troopers repeatedly beating and tasing Ronald Greene before his death on a dark roadway in May 2019 — but what he viewed was…

By Matt Sledge | NOLA.com | November 10, 2021 For years as a member of the New Orleans City Council, Jason Williams fought against budget increases requested by former District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro, while questioning his leadership and financial stewardship. Ten months after Williams became district attorney, the tables were turned as he asked the…

Wednesday, November 3rd, 2021 NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that IRVIN MAYFIELD, age 44, a resident of New Orleans, and RONALD MARKHAM, age 43, also a resident of New Orleans, were sentenced today for defrauding the New Orleans Public Library Foundation out of approximately $1,316,232. The Honorable Jay Zainey sentenced the…

By Garey Forster | The Advocate | November 3, 2021 The Census Bureau says 391,000 people live in New Orleans. Louisiana’s secretary of state says Orleans Parish has 266,856 registered voters. Yet only 51,342 picked LaToya Cantrell to be mayor, and merely 41,564 elected Jason Williams as district attorney. Those were two different election cycles.…

By Ken Daley | WVUE | November 3, 2021 CLICK FOR INTERVIEW NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Grammy-winning trumpeter Irvin Mayfield and his business partner Ronald Markham each was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison Wednesday (Nov. 3), nearly a year after they pleaded guilty to a scheme that defrauded the New Orleans Public Library…

By David Hammer | WWL-TV | November 3, 2021 CLICK FOR INTERVIEW NEW ORLEANS — Grammy-winning New Orleans trumpeter Irvin Mayfield and his business partner Ronald Markham were each sentenced to 18 months in federal prison Wednesday, a year after admitting that they diverted over $1.3 million in New Orleans Public Library donations to their…

By Natasha Robin | WVUE | November 3, 2021 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Violent crime continues to plague New Orleans. Carjackings are up more than 151% since 2019 across the city. Last year, there were 84 carjacking cases. This year, police investigated more than 211. More than 400 people have been shot…

By Jim Mustian and Jake Bleiberg | Associated Press | November 2, 2021 NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A reexamined autopsy ordered by the FBI in the deadly 2019 arrest of Ronald Greene has rejected the Louisiana State Police claim that a car crash caused his fatal injuries, narrowing prosecutors’ focus on the troopers seen on…

By Nicholas Chrastil | The Lens | October 29, 2021 As a city councilmember in 2017, Jason Williams was one of the most outspoken critics of then-District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro’s treatment of victims and witnesses who were reluctant to testify. That year, The Lens revealed that Cannizzarro’s prosecutors were using fake subpoenas to pressure witnesses to talk…

By Marlisa Harding | American Press | October 28, 2021 A report released on Wednesday by the Metropolitan Crime Commission outlined the state of Calcasieu Parish’s criminal justice system. The report looked at over 9,000 cases that went through the 14th Judicial Court over 2015, 2016 and 2017 and identified the system’s strengths and weaknesses.…

By Theresa Schmidt | KPLC | October 28, 2021 CLICK FOR VIDEO Lake Charles, LA (KPLC) – How efficiently do law enforcement, prosecutors and judges work together in the judicial system? President of the Metropolitan Crime Commission Rafael Goyeneche says there are positives. “You don’t hold people accountable if you stop at probable cause,” Goyeneche said. “You…

By Natasha Robin | WVUE | October 25, 2021 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – When not enough New Orleans Police officers volunteered to work detail for the Krewe of Boo parade, organizers cut out about a dozen blocks of the route. While so many spectators enjoyed seeing a parade once again in New Orleans,…

Project by Michael Isaac Stein, Caroline Sinders, and Winnie Yoe | The Lens | October 21, 2021 “WHAT’S UP WITH THESE CAMERAS?” That’s what Dee Dee Green remembers thinking the first time she saw one of New Orleans’ police surveillance cameras in 2018, flashing red and blue lights over a community garden she manages in…

By Missy Wilkinson | NOLA.com | October 16, 2021 The first time the guy in the hooded sweatshirt and face covering passed my car, I ignored the needle prick of fear that ran through me. It was 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 2. I was parked and Googling directions to a costume party, dressed as a…

By William Patrick | The Center Square Louisiana | October 15, 2021 (The Center Square) – New Orleans has one of the highest homicide rate increases of any major city in the country since the COVID-19 pandemic began, according to a recent crime analysis. Researchers for the personal finance website WalletHub compared homicide rates of…

By Danae Columbus | Uptown Messenger | October 14, 2021 Times are tough since Hurricane Ida decimated New Orleans, and they don’t seem to be getting better quickly enough. Blue tarps dot the horizon as homeowners wait for their insurance settlements. Storm debris is disappearing slowly, and trash pickup is down to one day a…

By Travers Mackel | WDSU | October 13, 2021 CLICK FOR INTERVIEW NEW ORLEANS — A recent report by the nonprofit watchdog agency Metropolitan Crime Commission says the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office has refused or dismissed 937 violent felony cases since January of 2021. That’s when District Attorney Jason Williams took office as the…

By Matt Sledge | NOLA.com | October 13, 2021 Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams is rejecting more battery, assault and robbery charges than his predecessor, leading to a sharp decline in the share of violent felony arrests that are prosecuted, a watchdog group said Wednesday. The business-aligned Metropolitan Crime Commission claims in a report that Williams,…

By LBJ | WGNO | October 13, 2021 CLICK FOR INTERVIEW NEW ORLEANS (WGNO)— New District Attorney Jason Williams was elected on a promise, not to throw so many people in jail, but the Metropolitan Crime Commission (MCC) says it means more violent criminals walk free. In March of this year Orleans District Attorney Jason…

By Mike Perlstein | WWL-TV | October 13, 2021 CLICK FOR INTERVIEW NEW ORLEANS — Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams swept into office in January riding a wave of reform, promising second chances to low-level defendants, but serious consequences for violent offenders. In a report released today, however, the non-profit Metropolitan Crime Commission said…

By FOX 8 Staff | WVUE | October 13, 2021 CLICK FOR INTERVIEW NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Orleans Parish prosecutors refused more felony cases than they accepted in the first eight months of District Attorney Jason Williams’ tenure, and have become far less vigorous about holding accountable those accused of violent crimes in the city, a…

Thursday, October 7th, 2021 NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced today that AISHA THOMPSON (“THOMPSON”), age 43, of New Orleans, Louisiana, entered a plea of guilty on October 6, 2021 to Conspiracy to Commit Mail Fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371, arising out of staged…

By Travers Mackel | WDSU | October 7, 2021 CLICK FOR VIDEO Zero jury trials have happened in New Orleans at criminal court since the pandemic started over a year and a half ago. It comes as crime is on the rise and police are making arrests. Criminal defense lawyer John Fuller is ready to…

Wednesday, October 6th, 2021 NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that DAVID HANSON, age 63, from Abita Springs, Louisiana, and CLIFFORD “SKIP” KEEN, age 53, from Covington, Louisiana, were each sentenced today to 50 months imprisonment by United States District Judge Ivan L.R. Lemelle, after they previously pleaded guilty as charged to…

By Mike Perlstein | WWL-TV | October 4, 2021 NEW ORLEANS — A high-ranking supervisor at the Orleans Parish Communications District Access has been barred from a sensitive but commonly used federal criminal database for more than a year because she has a felony conviction, the New Orleans Office of Inspector General revealed Friday. Wendy…

By Ramon Antonio Vargas | NOLA.com | October 1, 2021 For nearly two years, a key supervisor at the office that dispatches New Orleans’ first responders to 911 calls had access to a national criminal records database despite having a prior felony conviction that should have barred her from using it, the city’s Office of…

By Jasmine Anderson | KNOE | September 29, 2021 CLICK FOR INTERVIEW MONROE, La. (KNOE) – A police watchdog group wants changes to the pension of police officers. Across the country, some get their pension even if convicted of a felony. In Louisiana, there’s a law that says pension can be garnished, but only for financial…

By Kiran Chawla | Unfiltered with Kiran | September 20, 2021 CLICK FOR INTERVIEW An important vote is expected at Tuesday’s New Roads council meeting to override Mayor Cornell Dukes’ veto. It goes back to Mayor Dukes’ security detail that’s provided by the New Roads Police Dept. officers. There is no ordinance for New Roads…

By Wesley Muller | Louisiana Illuminator | September 16, 2021 In a radio interview Wednesday, Gov. John Bel Edwards downplayed reports that Louisiana State Police troopers engaged in an attempted cover-up of the 2019 death of Ronald Greene, saying many of the cover-up allegations are “overblown or just false.” “Sometimes the media is incomplete in…

Monday, September 13, 2021 NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced today the August 26, 2021 Indictment of ASHLEY McGOWAN (“McGOWAN”), age 35; LERTRICE JOHNSON (“L. JOHNSON”), age 45; DAVIENQUE JOHNSON (“D. JOHNSON”), age 27; HERBERT ALLEN (“ALLEN”), age 36, TROYLYNN BROWN (“T. BROWN”), age 34; DION RIDLEY (“RIDLEY”), age 22;…

By Ken Daley | WVUE | September 13, 2021 NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Federal prosecutors announced the indictment of seven more New Orleans defendants Monday (Sept. 13), accusing the group of conspiring to stage accidents in the city involving 18-wheelers in order to defraud trucking companies and their insurance providers. Charged in the scheme involving…

By Elyse Carmosino & Andrea Gallo | The Advocate | August 27, 2021 The chief regulator of Louisiana’s private security industry, who already faces allegations of financial and sexual misconduct, is now in the crosshairs of the state’s public corruption watchdog. State Inspector General Stephen Street confirmed that his office is investigating Fabian Blache III,…

By Mike Perlstein | WWL-TV | August 26, 2021 CLICK FOR INTERVIEW NEW ORLEANS — Louisiana State Police Trooper Carl Cavalier said he was on assignment at the COVID field hospital at the New Orleans Convention Center in early 2020 when he first heard about a violent arrest by fellow troopers in North Louisiana in…

By Garey Forster | The Advocate | August 18, 2021 When writing about uncontrolled crime spikes in New Orleans, all the numbers indicate an obvious solution: Hire more police. Don’t be deceived by Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s sudden interest in this solution. It’s election season. Expect news conferences, radio, TV, and Facebook ads, but know Cantrell has…

By Lee Zurik & Cody Lillich | WVUE | August 18, 2021 CLICK FOR VIDEO BATON ROUGE, La. (WVUE) – The leader of the state’s board over private security has been placed on leave after numerous allegations of wrongdoing surfaced around his leadership of the agency. The Louisiana State Board of Private Security Examiners placed…

Wednesday, August 11, 2021 NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced today that DEWAYNE COLEMAN (“COLEMAN”), age 22, of Marrero, Louisiana, entered a plea of guilty today to Conspiracy to Commit Mail Fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371, arising out of staged automobile accidents with tractor-trailers…

Wednesday, August 11, 2021 NEW ORLEANS, LA – The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced today that BRIAN MEDUS, 44, of Covington, pleaded guilty as charged to violating Title 18, United States Code, Sections 371 and 1952(a)(3), conspiracy to use an interstate facility with intent to carry on unlawful activity. According to Court documents, MEDUS, the Assistant…

By Greg LaRose | WDSU | August 11, 2021 A former city inspector admitted Wednesday he accepted bribes from a contractor to approve permits for work in New Orleans although the contractor didn’t hold the required city license, according to federal court records. The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Brian Medus, a mechanical inspector in the…

By WDSU Digital Team | WDSU | August 9, 2021 The New Orleans Police Department held a news conference Monday to address concerns after a second violent weekend in a row. NOPD Superintendent Shaun Ferguson said the common theme amongst crime and arrests over the weekend was with people who do not live here bringing…

By Harrison Golden | WDSU | August 8, 2021 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS — In New Orleans’ fight against violence, the wheels are turning. Bicycles filled the city’s streets Saturday, as dozens of children rode from Mid-City’s First Grace United Methodist Church to City Park. They shared a route ― and a cause: stopping…

By WDSU Digital Team | WDSU | August 2, 2021 CLICK FOR VIDEO After violent shootings occurred over the weekend, New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Shaun Ferguson held a news conference to address the public. Ferguson called the violent crime incidents that occurred over the weekend “alarming” and “disturbing.” The following shootings were reported over…

Monday, August 2, 2021 NEW  ORLEANS,  LOUISIANA –  United States  Attorney Duane A.  Evans  announced that GENETTA ISREAL (“ISREAL”), age 53, of Houston, Texas, pled guilty today to Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371, arising out of staged automobile accidents with tractor-trailers occurring in New Orleans. …

By Thanh Truong | WWL-TV | July 30, 2021 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS — Crime data released this week show a startling spike in violent crime in New Orleans, and there are serious concerns that the trend will only worsen without a major shift in strategy. Findings by the Metropolitan Crime Commission reveal crimes…

By William Patrick | The Center Square | July 29, 2021 U.S. Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana has filed federal legislation aimed at reducing crime in areas where tourism is a key segment of state and local economies. The Louisiana Republican’s “Tourism District Protection Act” bill would apply nationally, though Kennedy said crime and economic…

By Danae Columbus | Uptown Messenger | July 29, 2021 Raphael Goyeneche, head of the Metropolitan Crime Commission, said Wednesday (July 28) that the city’s political leadership “must step up and give the NOPD the resources they need to protect and serve the community. Politics needs to get out of the way of public safety. Citizens…

By WDSU Digital Team | WDSU | July 28, 2021 CLICK FOR VIDEO New Orleans Police Superintendent Shaun Ferguson shared statistics during a news conference Wednesday that addressed the city’s significant increase in violent crime, although he said such activity has ebbed in recent weeks thanks to recent police initiatives. There have been 14 homicides…

By Fox 8 Staff | WVUE | July 28, 2021 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) -New Orleans Police Superintendent Shaun Ferguson will held a news conference Wednesday to update the department’s efforts to combat violent crime. Ferguson said Wednesday that officers have confiscated 90 guns in the last 2 weeks and more than 1,100…

By Trinity Velazquez | July 27, 2021 WASHINGTON (BRPROUD) On July 27, Senator John Kennedy introduced the Tourism District Protection Act to combat crime in areas in which tourism represents a vital part of the economy. “The pandemic lockdowns took revenue away from Louisianians who live in tourism-dependent areas, and now crime is rising across the country. The Tourism District Protection Act…

By Mike Perlstein | WWL-TV | July 27, 2021 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS — A recent citywide survey showed that New Orleans residents are increasingly worried about violent crime. Now a study by the Metropolitan Crime Commission shows that people have good reason to be concerned. The study shows that during the first six…

By Natasha Robin | WVUE | July 26, 2021 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Violent crime across New Orleans is up, and the latest Metropolitan Crime Commission report gives the public a chance to see the types of crime unfolding in each particular neighborhood. According to the report, the 7th District of New Orleans East, the…

By Anna McAllister | WGNO | July 26, 2021 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — The Metropolitan Crime Commission released its latest violent crime report for New Orleans, and the data is alarming to say the least. “50% of the violent crime over the last three years has occurred in the seventh and fifth districts.…

By Gordon Russell, Andrea Gallo, and John Simerman | NOLA.com | July 25, 2021 When Jeff Landry took office as Louisiana’s new attorney general in January 2016, he brought in his friend and benefactor, businessman Shane Guidry, as a special aide. Among other changes, Guidry helped him “rebrand” the office’s investigative division, changing its name…

By Kiran Chawla | Unfiltered With Kiran | July 19, 2021 CLICK FOR INTERVIEW Officer Michelle Patterson made headlines in 2018 when she was fired by Baton Rouge Police Chief Murphy Paul on May 4. Patterson, 29 at the time, was arrested in Oct. 2017 by BRPD for injuring public records and malfeasance in office,…

Staff Editorial | July 17, 2021 When the attorney general of Louisiana is on your company payroll, why not whistle up his investigators to help you with a family dispute? That is what businessman Shane Guidry of Jefferson Parish did, seeking help from his friend Attorney General Jeff Landry. Investigators from Landry’s office went well beyond the…

By John Simerman | NOLA.com | July 9, 2021 Shane Guidry, the Louisiana oilman and major GOP political donor, needed help. On a Saturday night in late January, Guidry’s adolescent daughter found out — via a text message from her biological mother — that she was adopted as a toddler. Lacey Hooper, who has bounced…