On Thursday, the indictment of former Lafayette Mayor-President Josh Guillory in the St. Martin Parish spoil banks case was announced.
For those who have been following the story for the past four years, another court action didn't come as a surprise; the situation has been the focus of investigations, audits and lawsuits almost since the original project was completed in 2022 - when Guillory was Mayor-President.
So how did we get here?
Here's some background on this case:
At issue is a project that LCG completed in St. Martin Parish, which removed decades-old levees on property partially owned by LCG.
St. Martin Parish officials said that LCG did the project in the dark of night, and without permits from either the parish or the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. LCG already had filed for a permit at a different location with the Corps; that permit application was withdrawn after St. Martin told the Corps that no parish permits for it would be granted.
The Current has done years of investigation on this situation, including several stories about the process surrounding the project and the contract - which cost $3.7 million but was never publicly bid because LCG used a $390,000 "as-needed excavation" contractor to do the work. To read that story, click here.
The project has reportedly sparked numerous investigations, including ongoing probes by the Legislative Auditor, the FBI, the EPA and the Corps. To read some of our stories about that, click here, here, here and here.
The Legislative Auditor worked on their investigation for several years, and delivered it to state and federal prosecutors last year. Lafayette prosecutors declined to take the case, and to date there have been no announcements from the U.S. Attorney's Office, but St. Martin Parish prosecutors, led by 16th District Attorney Michael Haik, brought the case to a grand jury - resulting in this week's indictment.
This was the summary of that investigative audit:
"Investigative auditors found that the Lafayette Consolidated Government (LCG) undertook a public works project involving the removal of a spoil bank on the St. Martin Parish side of the Vermilion River and its reconstruction on the Lafayette Parish side of the river, allegedly for flood mitigation purposes. Auditors determined that LCG carried out the project without obtaining the required legal authority, land rights, or permits — raising significant legal, regulatory, and intergovernmental concerns. Specifically, LCG expended public funds outside of its jurisdiction without a joint service agreement or cooperative endeavor agreement, as required by its Home Rule Charter and Louisiana law; performed work on land it did not fully own, without documented consent from a known co-owner; failed to obtain a local permit from St. Martin Parish Government; and withdrew its federal permit application from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, but then proceeded with the project anyway."
To read the audit, click here. You can find the letter in which the Lafayette DA rejects any charges by their office in this story. And, you can read Guillory's reaction to the indictment here.
Meanwhile, there were two civil lawsuits proceeding through state and federal courts on the situation. Shortly after the project happened, the St. Martin Parish Council, at the recommendation of then-Parish President Chester Cedars (a former prosecutor himself) prepared to file suit against LCG over it.
But then LCG filed suit first, in Lafayette court, asking the judge to rule that the project hadn't violated any laws. That case was moved to federal court by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, where it was recommended for dismissal multiple times, including one in which a judge referred to LCG's legal position as "convoluted."
New information did come out in the various motions; in the Corps' Motion to Dismiss, they revealed that they had called in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to investigate "flagrant, wilful violations" in the project.
The Corps "issued a Cease-and-Desist Order to Plaintiff confirming (Clean Water Act and Rivers and Harbors Act) violations." To read that story, click here.
Eventually, Guillory's re-election bid was rejected by voters who installed current Mayor President Monique Boulet in office; her new city attorney, Pat Ottinger, recommended dismissal of the city's suit. It was dismissed in March 2024.
Here's the audit:
Here are some of our stories about this case:
Former Lafayette officials won't face charges in spoil bank ...
New LCG attorney dismisses appeal in spoil banks case
Investigative audit complete; delivered to prosecutors
Corps investigating work on spoil banks on Vermilion River
LCG auditors cite problems in handling of funds
Another legal loss for LCG: Spoil banks lawsuit dismissal ...
LCG accused of removing spoil banks without permission
LCG Audit finds city money used for parish projects
City Council Chair asks specific questions about drainage projects
Army Corps issues cease-and-desist letter; LCG responds
St. Martin Parish files suit against LCG in spoils bank case
Federal judge dismisses all but one claim in LCG suit
LCG sues St. Martin and the US Army Corps over spoil ...
