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• Houston man gets prison for child porn possession

  November 2, 2012 3:56 AM

  LAKE CHARLES, La. (AP) - A Coast Guard chief warrant officer who pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography has been sentenced to five years in prison. U.S. District Judge Patricia Minaldi in Lake Charles also on Thursday sentenced 50-year-old Michael Robert Gleason, of Houston, to 10 years of supervised release... more »

• US citizen sentenced to life in Iraqi prison

  October 4, 2012 8:08 AM

  BAGHDAD (AP) - An Iraqi court has sentenced an American citizen to life in prison on charges of assisting al-Qaida and financing terrorist activities in Iraq, according to a government statement. The Interior Ministry said Omar Rashad Khalil, 53, was recruited by al-Qaida in Iraq in 2005. Khalil, an architectural... more »

• Man gets prison for La. casino cheating plot

  October 3, 2012 6:47 AM

  LAKE CHARLES, La. (AP) - A Texas man has been sentenced to more than three years in prison for his role in a scheme to defraud the L'Auberge du Lac Casino in Lake Charles. A federal judge sentenced 34-year-old Charbel Tannous, of Katy, Texas, last week to 37 months in... more »

• Prison seminary program expands in California

  September 12, 2012 9:34 AM

  NORCO, Calif. (AP) - Almost 900 inmates in California prisons are taking part in a seminary training program that officials hope will lead them to plant churches and evangelize on the outside. The program was built from an experiment begun four years ago by The Urban Ministry Institute at the... more »

• Group petitions for access at Angola records

  August 21, 2012 9:17 AM

  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - A New Orleans nonprofit organization wants a federal court order that would require officials of the Louisiana State Penitentiary to grant center attorneys and a medical specialist access to death-row inmates and records at Angola. Advocacy Center attorneys say in a civil lawsuit that prison... more »

• Federal prosecutors want doctor in prison

  August 21, 2012 9:13 AM

  LAFAYETTE, La. (AP) - Federal prosecutors say a former cardiologist who has been free for more than three years after his conviction on health care fraud charges should report to prison after losing his appeal. An attorney for Dr. Mehmood Patel told The Advocate Monday that he will seek to... more »

• Louisiana Man Sentenced to Life in Prison

  July 29, 2012 4:05 PM

  LAKE CHARLES, La. (AP) - A Louisiana man has been sentenced to life in prison without parole in the shooting death of a Marine during a 2009 party in Lake Charles. The American Press reports that Bryce Perkins was sentenced for second-degree murder this past week in the death of... more »

• N.O. rapper gets prison in firearms case

  July 19, 2012 6:44 AM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A New Orleans rapper who pleaded guilty to illegally possessing a firearm and conspiring to obstruct justice has been sentenced to 14 years in prison. Christopher Dorsey, known as "BG," also was sentenced Wednesday by U.S. District Judge Helen Berrigan to three years of supervised release... more »

• Suit drive being held for people leaving prison

  July 3, 2012 6:36 AM

  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - No longer using that suit and tie? Louisiana's corrections department says you can donate it to men and women leaving prison who need something to wear for job interviews. The department is seeking donations of dress clothing as part of the fifth annual National Suit... more »

• Man gets prison for oil-spill fraud

  May 18, 2012 8:57 AM

  GULFPORT, Miss. (AP) - A 28-year-old Gulfport man has been sentenced to prison for 37 months and ordered to make restitution of $27,000 for fraud involving an oil-spill recovery claim. The Sun Herald reports Moses W. Keys was sentenced Wednesday. U.S. District Judge Louis Guirola Jr. also ordered three years... more »

• La. man gets prison in bankruptcy case

  April 19, 2012 6:51 AM

  LAFAYETTE, La. (AP) - A Maurice man who was convicted of concealing bankruptcy assets has been sentenced to more than two years in prison. U.S. District Judge Rebecca Doherty in Lafayette on Tuesday sentenced 52-year-old Thad Corey Theall to 27 months in prison and ordered him to repay $50,000 to... more »

• La. woman gets prison for misusing patient data

  April 13, 2012 7:41 AM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A Westwego woman has been sentenced to more than two years in prison for using patient information stolen from a New Orleans hospital for her personal gain. U.S. District Judge Eldon Fallon on Thursday sentenced 26-year-old Sherrie Blair to 27 months in prison. Fallon sentenced Blair's... more »

• Ex-business owner gets prison sentence

  April 11, 2012 8:15 AM

  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - The former owner of a now-defunct Baton Rouge debt-collection agency has been sentenced to 51 months in federal prison in a case that caused combined losses of more than $430,000 at two banks. On Tuesday, Chief U.S. District Judge Brian Jackson also ordered 59-year-old William... more »

• Budget committee considers central La. prison sale

  April 10, 2012 7:49 AM

  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - The House's budget committee is set to decide whether to support a Jindal administration plan to sell a central Louisiana prison to a private operator. A similar proposal was killed by the Appropriations Committee last year. But the panel has several new members who are... more »

• Cops face decades in prison for Katrina shootings

  April 4, 2012 9:47 AM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A case that became the centerpiece of the Justice Department's push to clean up the troubled New Orleans Police Department draws to a close Wednesday, as a federal judge sentences five former police officers for their roles in deadly shootings of unarmed residents on a bridge... more »

• Slidell man gets prison for punching postal worker

  March 22, 2012 9:13 AM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A Slidell man has been sentenced to two years in prison for assaulting a postal worker. A federal judge in New Orleans also on Wednesday sentenced 28-year-old Tracy Tardiff to three years of supervised release following his prison term. Federal prosecutors say the postal worker was... more »

• Man gets prison for illegally buying assault rifle

  March 15, 2012 5:59 AM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A convicted felon who pleaded guilty to illegally obtaining an assault rifle at a Kenner gun show has been sentenced to more than four years in prison. Federal prosecutors say 23-year-old Kena James purchased the rifle in June at a gun show for 26-year-old Hilton Fluker,... more »

• 2 brothers get prison for LA-based cocaine ring

  March 7, 2012 6:24 AM

  LOS ANGELES (AP) - The head of a small hip-hop record label who prosecutors say led a drug trafficking ring that used chartered jets to ship cocaine and cash between Baltimore and Los Angeles has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison. City News Service says Ricky "DP" Brascom... more »

• Man gets prison for robbing N.O. bank

  March 1, 2012 7:36 AM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A Houston man who was convicted of robbing a downtown New Orleans bank at gunpoint has been sentenced to more than 13 years in prison. A federal judge on Wednesday sentenced 58-year-old Abdel Rahim Muhammad to 162 months in prison and ordered him to pay restitution... more »

• Covington car burglar gets 24 years in prison

  March 1, 2012 6:07 AM

  COVINGTON, La. (AP) - A 22-year-old Covington man convicted of breaking into cars then trying to drive away from pursuing officers at 80 mph has been sentenced to 24 years in prison without parole. The Times-Picayune reports state District Judge William Burris sentenced Martin on Tuesday following his October conviction... more »

• Inmate dies in Vernon Parish prison

  February 10, 2012 9:28 AM

  LEESVILLE, La. (AP) - Sheriff's deputies say a Leesville man has died in the Vernon Parish Correctional Center. Authorities tell The Town Talk Murphy A. Haynes died Sunday around 6 a.m. because of "medical reasons." Deputies are waiting autopsy results to determine Haynes' exact cause of death. more »

• La. man gets prison for bank robbery

  February 8, 2012 10:49 AM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A Metairie man had been sentenced to more than two years in prison for robbing a bank last year. U.S. District Judge Sarah Vance also on Tuesday sentenced 36-year-old Don Lee Alexander to three years of supervised release following his 30-month prison term. Alexander pleaded guilty... more »

• Inmate Search Continues; Prison Improves Security Play Video

  October 18, 2011 7:32 PM

  The search for escaped inmate Brian Soileau continues into its fifth day in Evangeline Parish. Brian Soileau was a State prisoner and escaped from the Pine Prairie Correctional Center Thursday night. Sheriff Eddie Soileau has issued an update on the search, saying State Police, the U.S. Marshal's Office and... more »

• Lafayette Parish Arrests Report

  July 10, 2011 12:14 PM

  Name: Alexander, Dawny Charge: Criminal Mischief Charge Arresting Agency: Lafayette City Pd Address: 100 Blk Limoges STR Duson, La Name: Auguste, Peguy Charge: Owi Vehicle Arresting Agency: La State Police Troop I Address: 700 Blk Lamancha AVE Aedinvurg, Tx Name: Beeson, Joshua Charge: Owi Vehicle Arresting Agency: Lafayette... more »

• Lafayette Parish Daily Arrests

  June 11, 2011 11:26 AM

  Name: Abshire, Morgan Charge: Fugitive Arresting Agency: Lafayette Parish Sheriff'S Ofc Address: 100 Blk Wadsworth Lafayette, La Name: Alexander, Anjennette Charge: No Lamp Over License Plate Arresting Agency: Lafayette City Pd Address: 100 Blk Cantel ST Lafayette, La Name: Andrus, Shawn Charge: Theft Of Goods Charge Arresting Agency:... more »

• Man Gets Life in Prison for Murder-for-Hire Plot

  June 4, 2011 10:54 AM

  SHREVEPORT, La. (AP) - A man who pleaded guilty to participating in a murder-for-hire plot has been sentenced to life in prison. Twenty-nine-year-old Erick Dewayne Crain pleaded guilty Friday to first-degree murder in the death of Ernest Luttrell. The Times reports that state District Judge John Mosely sentenced Crain to... more »

• Social Worker Arrested, Accused of Sex with Inmate

  June 4, 2011 10:46 AM

  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - A social worker at a state juvenile detention center has been booked with malfeasance in office and fired for an alleged sexual relationship with a 20-year-old inmate, according to a Baton Rouge newspaper. The Advocate reports that 39-year-old Lashonda Lang, of Baton Rouge, was a... more »

• Former Assistant D.A. Heading to Prison

  June 1, 2011 7:34 PM

  Former assistant district attorney, Floyd Johnson, is heading to federal prison. He plead guilty to one-count of tax evasion in November, but was sentenced to 18 months in prison today. He'll also have to pay back nearly 180 thousand dollars in restitution fees. United States Attorney, Stephanie Finley, said... more »

• La. Man Gets 17 Years in Prison for Child Porn

  May 6, 2011 7:19 AM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A Houma man has been sentenced to more than 17 years in prison for downloading child pornography to his home computer. U.S. District Judge Mary Ann Vial Lemmon also ordered 55-year-old Robert Kim Istre on Thursday to register as a sex offender following his prison term.... more »

• Woman gets prison time in fatal crash

  March 30, 2011 9:02 AM

  CROWLEY, La. (AP) - A woman has been sentenced to four years in prison at hard labor in connection with a crash that left a man dead. Loretta R. Richard was charged with vehicular homicide in the Oct. 19, 2008, crash that killed Chad Blyne Trahan, who was a passenger... more »

• Judge Reggie Speaks Out About Edwards' Release

  January 14, 2011 6:51 PM

  New Thursday on Governor Edwin Edwards, his good friend and confidant Judge Edmund Reggie sits down with KATC to talk about their friendship before, during and after his prison sentence. They met back in the 1940's, when both were law students at Tulane and then both got their political... more »

• What's Next for Edwin Edwards

  January 13, 2011 11:59 PM

  Many people in Edwin Edwards' home town of Crowley are excited about his release from prison Thursday. But probably no one is more ecstatic than Edwards himself. "He's been looking forward to being out for a long time," said Leo Honeycutt, Edwards' biographer. Honeycutt said that at 83... more »

• ACLU calls on jail to move disabled prisoner

  January 7, 2011 5:46 PM

  NEW IBERIA, La. (AP) - The American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana claims the Iberia Parish jail is holding a prisoner with muscular dystrophy in inhumane conditions. In a letter Friday to the Iberia Parish Sheriff's Office, the ACLU says 31-year-old Reginald Peters has been sleeping on a cell floor... more »

• Inmate Gets More Time for Prison Assault

  January 7, 2011 6:14 AM

  LAKE CHARLES, La. (AP) - A prison inmate convicted of assaulting two correctional officers has been sentenced to an additional 95 months in prison. U.S. District Judge Patricia Minaldi also on Thursday ordered 34-year-old Howard Harris to serve three years of supervised released following his prison term. Harris, an inmate... more »

• Jones to report to prison Feb. 28

  January 6, 2011 9:16 PM

  MONROE, La. (AP) - Former state Sen. Charles D. Jones is scheduled Feb. 28 to surrender to federal authorities and begin a 27-month prison sentence following his conviction on charges including tax evasion. U.S. District Judge Robert James also sentenced Jones to three years of supervised release and ordered the... more »

• Baldwin Man gets 15 years prison

  November 18, 2010 6:23 AM

  St. Mary Parish Assistant District Attorney Stan Hardee announces that yesterday afternoon in Franklin at the St. Mary Parish Courthouse, Christopher Paul Hines age 41 of Baldwin pled guilty as a Second Felony Habitual Offender to Distribution of Cocaine having been previously convicted of Distribution of Cocaine in 1997. Hines... more »

• Louisiana Courthouse Escapee gets Life in Prison

  November 3, 2010 8:12 AM

  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - A 34-year-old man who was on his way to a habitual offender hearing last month when he escaped from deputies outside the Baton Rouge state courthouse has been sentenced to life in prison. Demond Cook of Baton Rouge, shackled and dressed in a prison jumpsuit,... more »

• Louisiana man pleads in prison system fraud

  October 20, 2010 10:12 AM

  LAFAYETTE, La. (AP) - A Lake Charles man accused of overbilling the state prison system for more than $170,000 in fertilizer has pleaded guilty to federal mail fraud charges. 69-year-old Wallace "Gene" Fletcher faces up 20 years in prison and up to $250,000 in fines and restitution. Fletcher entered his... more »

• Illegal Spending Spree Sends LA Minister to Prison

  September 30, 2010 1:17 PM

  JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - A Louisiana minister has been sentenced to 27 months in federal prison for using stolen money orders during a spending spree in Mississippi. The Rev. Toris Young of New Orleans pleaded guilty in June to one count of bank fraud and one count of using forged... more »

• Schriever Man Faces Life in Prison for Child Rape

  September 30, 2010 8:31 AM

  HOUMA, La. (AP) - A Schriever man faces life in prison after a Terrebonne Parish jury convicted him of sexually abusing a child. Thirty-nine-year-old Kim Crochet was found guilty Tuesday of aggravated rape following a two-day trial in state district court in Houma. He was accused of repeatedly having sex... more »

• LA Wants Permission to Jam Airwaves From Prison

  September 13, 2010 3:17 PM

  COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - The man responsible for keeping contraband out of a South Carolina prison was nearly killed in what authorities say was an attack ordered by an inmate using a smuggled cell phone. Corrections Department Capt. Robert Johnson was shot six times in his home in March. Now... more »

• Ex-judge gets prison in bribery scheme

  September 9, 2010 9:32 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A former state judge has been sentenced to five years in prison for his role in a bribery scheme to allow inmates to get out of jail without paying any bond money. Sixty-two-year-old Wayne Cresap, who sat in St. Bernard Parish, also was ordered Thursday to... more »

• Leesville Man Sentenced to 1 Year Prison for Starting Forest Fires

  September 3, 2010 11:46 AM

  LEESVILLE, La. (AP) - A state district judge in Vernon Parish has ordered a 66-year-old Leesville man to spend a year in jail and repay nearly $21,000 to owners of timber he was convicted of burning. The Daily Leader reports that Judge Vernon B. Clark sentenced Darrell Wayne Westmoreland to... more »

• TAX PREPARER SENTENCED TO PRISON

  August 26, 2010 5:36 PM

  Shreveport, La.: Sharay K. Johnson, 41, of Shreveport, La., was sentenced to 36 months in a federal prison, United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley. Johnson pleaded guilty in April to aiding and assisting in the preparation or presentation of a fraudulent tax return. Thursday's sentence was imposed by United States... more »

• Man Gets Prison Time For Trafficking In Counterfeit Goods

  August 26, 2010 5:02 PM

  Shreveport, La.: Dwight Anthony Reed, 52, of Bossier City, La., owner of a retail store formerly located in Pierre Bossier Mall in Bossier City, La., was sentenced to 48 months in federal prison for trafficking in counterfeit goods, United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced today. Reed was also sentenced... more »

• Ex-Gretna Council Member Gets 17 Years in Prison

  August 23, 2010 6:12 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A former Gretna city council member who was convicted of taking money for his support of zoning variances has been sentenced to 17 years in prison. In April, a federal jury convicted 48-year-old Jonathan Bolar of charges that included extortion, wire fraud and failing to file... more »

• Louisiana Prison Nourishes Its Own

  August 9, 2010 9:21 AM

  DEQUINCY, La. (AP) - Strawberry preserves ... blueberry syrup ... fresh honey ... homegrown tomatoes ... Believe it or not, that's just a sampling of the usual fare at C. Paul Phelps Correctional Center in DeQuincy. But prison officials say the 942 inmates are by no means pampered or spoiled.... more »

• Former Independence Police Chief Has Escaped Prison Time

  July 16, 2010 4:43 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The former Independence Police chief has escaped prison time for his role in arranging for unqualified voters to cast ballots in a February 2008 election. U.S. Attorney Jim Letten said Friday that 60-year-old Anthony P. Maurer, instead, was sentenced to two years probation and ordered to... more »

• High Court Reinstates 30-Year Prison Sentence

  July 8, 2010 7:40 AM

  LAFAYETTE, La. (AP) - The Louisiana Supreme Court has reinstated the 30-year sentence of a woman who pleaded guilty to killing one person and injuring three others while driving under the influence of legal and illegal drugs. Marilyn LeBlanc pleaded guilty in March 2008 to one count of vehicular homicide... more »

• Ex-Pharmacist Gets Prison for Prescription Scam

  June 25, 2010 9:24 AM

  LAFAYETTE, La. (AP) - A former pharmacist who pleaded guilty to filling fraudulent prescriptions for an illegal Internet drug company has been sentenced to 15 months in prison. Fifty-six--year-old Paul Williams owned the Grand Couteau Prescription Shoppe in his hometown, Grand Couteau. Federal prosecutors said a Panamanian company paid Williams... more »

• Krotz Spring Chief's Husband Will Go To Prison

  June 25, 2010 8:44 AM

  OPELOUSAS, La. (AP) - The 67-year-old husband of Krotz Springs Chief of Police Susan Lacassin has been sentenced to five years at hard labor in connection with his April 22 conviction on one count of indecent behavior with a juvenile. Arthur Douglas Lacassin provided no statement prior to his sentencing... more »

• Prison inmates wrongly received $9 million in tax credits

  June 23, 2010 11:52 AM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - Nearly 1,300 prison inmates wrongly received more than $9 million in tax credits for homebuyers despite being locked up when they claimed they bought a home, a government investigator reported Wednesday. The investigator said 241 of the inmates were serving life sentences. In all, more than 14,100... more »

• 2 Inmates Escape from EBR Parish Prison

  June 2, 2010 9:38 AM

  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Authorities are searching for two inmates who escaped from the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison. Deputies are searching today for 23-year-old Jeremy Ricard and 26-year-old Leonard Thomas. Deputies say Ricard was arrested in March and booked with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. Thomas was... more »

• Operation Sweep: Re-model of Ramada Inn

  May 20, 2010 6:57 PM

  A new second chance program is in the works in Lafayette. It will not only help those in need but will also re-model an eye sore off of I-49. The old Ramada Inn property will be transformed into one of eight phases for the program. The building has been... more »

• Ex-prison Enterprises Official Sentenced

  May 13, 2010 9:48 AM

  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - The former director of Louisiana Prison Enterprises has been sentenced to five months in federal prison for witness tampering in a prison corruption investigation. James H. Leslie, 58, also was sentenced Wednesday to five months of home detention and fined $10,000 by U.S. District Judge... more »

• Authorities: Louisiana inmate Confesses to Fla. Killing

  May 13, 2010 9:26 AM

  ANGOLA, La. (AP) - A Louisiana State Penitentiary inmate serving life for killing two women has confessed to a 17-year-old killing in Florida. The Volusia County sheriff says 38-year-old Romalis Gordon confessed to the April 1993 slaying of 20-year-old Christine Lazzaro, of Rochester, N.Y., during her spring break trip to... more »

• Prison Population may Gradually Decline in Louisiana

  April 27, 2010 11:32 AM

  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Louisiana, where one out of every 55 adults is incarcerated, could see its prison population gradually decline if a package of bills up for debate in the House this week is passed into law. The four bills mainly target nonviolent offenders, who make up 60... more »

• Unsolved Crimes Featured on Playing Cards

  April 20, 2010 10:07 AM

  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Playing cards in special new decks being sold to Louisiana prison inmates bear the faces of homicide victims and missing persons in cases that have been unsolved from one to 30 years. About 10,000 Louisiana Cold Case decks - complete... more »

• LA Judge Rules: Can't Censor Prison Newspaper

  March 31, 2010 4:32 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A federal judge has ruled that a Louisiana state prison can't censor or restrict inmates' access to copies of The Final Call newspaper, a Nation of Islam publication. Wednesday's ruling by U.S. District Judge Donald Walter in Shreveport orders the David Wade Correctional Center to deliver... more »

• Federal Prison Still On Lock Down

  March 29, 2010 4:57 PM

  POLLOCK, La. (AP) - The federal prison in Pollock remained on lockdown Monday. A news release from the Warden's office says the lockdown status was instituted in the maximum security penitentiary Sunday evening after one inmate assaulted another. During a lockdown the inmates are kept in their living quarters and... more »

• Drug in the Fruit

  November 12, 2009 2:17 PM

  EDINBURG, Texas (AP) - There was something rotten in the fruit -- and it wasn't spoiled produce. Officials at a Texas prison report a crate of donated fruit had 25 pounds of pot stashed inside of it. The illegal harvest had been missed in an earlier search. The fruit was... more »