LAFAYETTE, La. (KPLC) – A former Louisiana assistant district attorney has been indicted by a federal grand jury for his involvement in a bribery and money laundering scheme.
Gary Haynes, 66, of Lafayette, is charged with bribery conspiracy, bribery, using a mobile phone to facilitate bribery, money laundering conspiracy and obstruction of justice and faces up to 65 years in prison if convicted.
The indictment is part of a broader bribery investigation by the 15th Judicial District Attorney’s Office and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF).
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, while he was an assistant district attorney, Haynes conspired with former LDWF Commissioner Dusty Guidry and Lafayette business owner Leonard Franks to solicit bribes and kickbacks.
According to the indictment, Haynes would place offenders in pretrial diversion programs by paying for them to take classes through Franks’ company and have the charges dropped. Haynes, Guidry and Franks agreed that Haynes would receive kickbacks and discussed several ways to conceal the scheme, the indictment said.
On January 12, 2024, Franks pleaded guilty to one count of bribery conspiracy relating to a program receiving federal funds.
On March 23, 2023, Guidry pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to commit bribery in connection with programs receiving federal funds and one count of bribery in connection with programs receiving federal funds.
According to KADN, Joseph Prejean is also a defendant in the case. Prejean is the owner of a company that provided the 15th Joint Forces Command with online courses for its conversion program. Prejean admitted to bribing officials of the District Attorney’s Office in exchange for favorable deals. On December 13, 2023, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States.
Guidry, Frank and Prejean are scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 24, 2024.
Another person allegedly involved in the scheme is former LDWF commissioner Jack Montosse, who abruptly resigned from his position on April 14, 2023, after the allegations came to light. Montosse has never been indicted in connection with the scheme.
Since the investigation began in May 2022, Haines has been on administrative leave from his position with the District Attorney’s Office and suspended from Lafayette Unified Government, where he worked as city prosecutor, according to KADN. Haines’ wife, Verna, also served time in federal prison for her involvement in a separate bribery scandal that lasted from 2008 to 2012.
Attorney Todd Clemons released the following statement regarding the charges against Haynes:
“Gary is relieved that he can finally begin the process of redeeming himself. Gary is a good, hard-working man who has provided excellent service to the residents of Lafayette County for many years. He has been under public investigation by the federal government for over two years, living with suspicion and great stress.
“The prosecutors created a false indictment, a lie concocted by weak, unhonorable men who were pressured to cooperate with the Department of Justice. Gary Joseph Haines is a man of honor and integrity, and he will fight these false accusations with dignity until he is exonerated by 12 of his colleagues.”
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