A former government official in DeSoto Parish, Louisiana is accused of using taxpayer funds to cover legal costs in a civil penalty case against himself and to pay for campaign expenses.
The Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s report revealed that Jeremy Evans, who served as the parish’s Clerk of Court, spent tens of thousands of dollars in legal payments to defend against a lawsuit alleging that he violated the state’s Public Records Law.
Coy Fortenberry, a DeSoto Parish resident, accused Evans’ office of mishandling and redacting records related to payroll and expenses, according to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. The court assessed a $4,600 civil penalty against Evans personally for violated the records law. It ordered him to pay attorney’s fees to Fortenberry.
The lawsuit came after Fortenberry received documents from the clerk’s office that were incomplete. Evans claimed some records had been lost during an office relocation.
🔴 BREAKING
— KSLA News 12 (@KSLA) October 10, 2023
DeSoto Parish Clerk of Court Jeremy Evans booked this morning for allegedly electioneering at nursing home>>> https://t.co/noW3PpLOZ4 pic.twitter.com/sydwtyEm3J
The Legislative Auditor found that the clerk’s office paid $58,977 to one law firm and $15,000 to another out of its general fund. However, the court’s ruling instructed Evans to pay the settlement personally. The audit found that the legal expenses were later “shared” between the clerk’s office and Evans. However, it pointed out that there was a risk that taxpayer funds were improperly used to pay for legal representation when Evans was sanctioned personally.
But Evans did not just used taxpayer funds for legal expenses. The office also paid Rougarou Consulting $12,721 in July 2023 for “digital banner ad design” and “digital and social media buy.” for his reelection campaign. These expenses were labeled as “other professional services.”
The auditor’s report suggested these problems arose from weak internal controls and the fact that management could bypass safeguards to approve spending that benefited the elected clerk.
BREAKING: DeSoto Parish Sheriff Jayson Richardson sues Louisiana Legislative Auditor to block subpoena seeking personnel files of 12 Sheriff Dept. employees, including Richardson & other high ranking officials, in connection with LACE payroll fraud investigation. @KSLA pic.twitter.com/xrJD1d9Tzf
— Stacey Cameron (@StaceyTVJourno) June 20, 2018
DeSoto Parish has seen several instances of corruption in its government. Another Louisiana Legislative Auditor report on the DeSoto Parish Sheriff’s Office found that deputies working the Local Agency Compensated Enforcement (LACE) ticket-writing program were paid for 253 hours that they did not log. This resulted in a possible overpayment of $15,075 and state law violations.
The report also suggested the sheriff’s office may have overbilled the district attorney by $3,350 for patrol car usage tied to the inflated hours.
Sheriff Jayson Richardson allegedly resisted the auditor’s efforts to obtain his office’s records. He went to court to block access, claiming the requested records were “sensitive” and constitutionally protected.
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