By Kenny Lopez | WGNO | July 29, 2022
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 about what the acquittal means for the future of the DA’s Office.
A not guilty verdict means District Attorney Jason Williams can focus on the tasks at hand and according to the Metropolitan Crime Commission there’s lots of work that needs to be done, and we will start seeing progress.
“For the first time in a couple of years the cloud has been removed from Jason Williams,” Rafael Goyeneche said.
Rafael Goyeneche with the Metropolitan Crime Commission says now that DA Jason Williams was found not guilty of Federal tax fraud he can focus 100 percent on the responsibilities of the DA’s office.
“I think the distraction is now removed and I think that bodes well for DA’s Office, criminal justice system, and the general public of New Orleans,” Goyeneche said.
Goyeneche said when Williams was sworn in back in 2021 he was progressive, but now we’ll start to see a difference in his earlier policies.
“He said he would never prosecute juveniles as adults, never use habitual offender statute, never advocate bail, never use material witness warrants, and since he’s become DA he’s migrated from the policies, the longer he’s District Attorney, he’ll move towards the middle,” he said.
Without the criminal case haunting the DA, Williams’ friend and fellow lawyer Lance Unglesby said with Jason’s acquittal—the sky’s the limit.
“Jason’s going to build trust in this community in the District Attorney’s Office, people will begin to cooperate, people will believe they can participate in the criminal justice system. He can get back to doing the people’s business,” Unglesby said.
Williams’ Defense Attorneys said that the DA is now decompressing from the trial and he’s ready to put this behind him and move on.