A second person has been charged in the federal probe into the Lafayette DA's pretrial diversion program.
Earlier this year, Dusty Guidry pleaded guilty to conspiracy and bribery charges; his sentencing is set for early next year.
This week, the feds filed a Bill of Information charging the owner of one of the companies allegedly involved in the scheme, C&A Consulting. If you want to read it for yourself, scroll down.
Joseph Prejean, of Church Point, is accused in the document of conspiracy to defraud the United States. The Bill accuses Prejean of working with Guidry, under the direction of an employee of the DA's office, to pay bribes to Guidry and that employee to make sure his company got business through the Pretrial Diversion Program.
Guidry and the DA's employee would use their positions to steer people in the program to C&A in exchange for payments and "other tangible benefits," the Bill alleges. It specifically alleges that Prejean paid Guidry and this other, unidentified DA's employee.
In one case, a person facing charges in Lafayette and St. Martin parishes arranged to pay Prejean $25,000, and once Prejean had the money he sent $12,500 of it to Guidry. It was understood that Guidry would then pay some of that share to the DA's employee, the Bill alleges.
Another person paid Prejean $20,000, the Bill alleges.
The documents filed against Guidry lay out similar circumstances, accusing him creating two companies to accept bribes from four different "vendors" in a bill of information. The bill accused him of two counts of conspiracy, one count of bribery and includes a motion for forfeiture of assets. The court record shows he pleaded guilty to all counts on March 23, three days after the bill of information was filed.
The plea agreement indicates he admitted to accepting more than $730,000 in bribes.
More than a year ago, the FBI searched the District Attorney's Office; DA Don Landry told KATC at the time that they were looking at the pre-trial diversion program. To read that story, click here.
The 10-page bill of information filed against Guidry lays out a conspiracy that began in 2021 and lasted until 2022 involving the pre-trial diversion program, two unnamed public officials and four "vendors."
Guidry used to work for the East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney's Office, but he was working as an "agent" of the Lafayette DA's pre-trial diversion program in January 2021 when the alleged conspiracy began.
Guidry was appointed to the Cajundome Commission by Lafayette Mayor-President Joel Robideaux, and to the state Wildlife and Fisheries Commission by Gov. John Bel Edwards.
One of the unnamed public officials allegedly involved in the conspiracy works for the District Attorney and the other works for the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Department, the bill alleges.
Shortly after Guidry's guilty plea became public, Jack Montoucet, Secretary of LWFD, resigned. To read about that, click here.
The four vendors, who also aren't named in the bill filed against Guidry, were authorized to participate in the pre-trial dviersion program; defendants who took part in the program were required to pay the vendors directly for their services.
Guidry and other agents of the program, acting under the direction of Guidry and the unnamed public official who worked for the district attorney, referred defendants to the vendors involved, the bill alleges.
The conspiracy began in January 2021 and lasted until about May 2022, the bill alleges. Guidry and his co-conspirators solicited bribes from the vendors in exchange for giving those vendors the DA's business.
Guidry and the unnamed public official who works for the DA's office "loosened the eligibility requirements" so that more defendants could get in - which meant more business for the four vendors, the bill alleges. Those defendants were then directed by Guidry and his partner to those vendors for "classes and services," the bill alleges.
The vendors made payments directly to Guidry or his businesses, and two of them paid money "and other tangible benefits" to Guidry and his partner at the DA's office, the bill alleges.
One of the benefits Guidry allegedly received was the purchase and payments toward a vehicle for him and his wife, the bill alleges. Another vendor made payments or sent things of value directly to Guidry's wife or her company, in order to hide the bribes, the bill alleges. Another vendor paid Guidry half of the revenue earned through the pre-trial diversion program, the bill alleges.
One payment alone was $12,500, the bill alleges: that matches the information in the Bill filed this week against Prejean.
The second unnamed public official, who the bill states works as an agent for the LDWF, worked with Guidry to solicit and accept bribes from two vendors to help them get business with the state department. The bill alleges that Guidry and this public official used their positions to steer LDWF contracts to the vendors for hunter and boater education classes, and classes that people accused of violations are required to take. They also sent the vendor business for hunting and boating licenses.
The bill alleges that that public official arranged to get the kickbacks from the vendor until after he had retired from LDWF. The vendor also agreed to buy a $14,000 all-terrain vehicle, the bill alleges.
Here's the Bill filed against Prejean:
