April Foulcard, the embattled mayor of Jeanerette, has led her last meeting in that position.
Foulcard’s bid for re-election was rejected by voters this past spring. She came in third in a three-candidate race; Carol “Bro” Bourgeois, Jr. was elected Mayor. His term begins July 1. To see our interview with him, click here.
The Jeanerette Board of Aldermen had their last regular meeting of the current term on Monday.
Neither Foulcard nor the city council have had any authority over city operations since the state took over the city’s finances in January 2018. That extraordinary action followed years of financial disarray, with the city’s books so inadequate that accountants couldn’t even audit them for the past two years.
The Legislative Auditor also investigated city operations, and October released an audit report that noted several possible violations of state law. That audit noted that at least one former employee was interviewed by State Police detectives about the findings; State Police have confirmed to us there’s still an open active investigation.
The audit indicates that at least one former employee has spoken with State Police about the items listed in the audit. It also indicated that the case was turned over to the 16th Judicial District Attorney’s Office.
To read the entire audit for yourself, click here.
Foulcard also is facing criminal charges in connection with her company, JABA Enterprises.
In April 2018, Foulcard, her brother, her sister and her mother were all indicted in a Baton Rouge court for racketeering and Medicaid fraud. The family company, JABA Enterprises, also was named in the indictment.
The indictments followed investigations by the state Department of Health into JABA Enterprises. To read our story about that, click here.
Foulcard was indicted on multiple charges, including racketeering, conspiracy, Medicaid fraud, filing false public records, money laundering and conspiracy to commit forgery. To read our story about the indictment, click here.
