DA Trent Brignac said Donald Thomas and Donald Fontenot, long-time Police Jury employees, were sentenced Thursday.
Thomas pleaded to four counts of false accounting and received a sentence of two years in the parish jail. The sentence was suspended and Thomas was placed on two years probation. He was ordered to reimburse $6,018 to the jury for overtime payments brought into question by the legislative audit. He also was ordered to pay a fine of $1,000.
Fontenot pleaded to illegal use of public property in violation of R.S. 14:68. Fontenot also received a suspended sentence, and was placed on one year of probation. In addition, he will have to pay a fine of $500.
Brignac said both men had already made the majority of restitution required by the court, and that both have resigned their public jobs.
Thomas and Fontenot were suspended in January when the parish received preliminary audit findings indicating four employees had engaged in suspected misconduct. The other two employees were Harrison Thomas and Emery Guillory.
Thomas and Fontenot join Police Juror Davis Manuel, who resigned from his post on April 19.
Manuel pleaded guilty to filing false financial documents and interfering with the investigation of a law enforcement agent. He was sentenced to one year in the parish jail, which was suspended. He was placed on two years probation and ordered to pay $1,000.
At the time of his sentence, it was noted Manuel did not directly benefit or receive anything of value as a result of his actions, but he was ordered to pay $10,000 to the jury because of the estimated cost to the parish. He also was required to resign.
The audit indicated employees were paid for time they did not work, the jury may have violated the public bid law and the jury failed to have proper controls in place when it came to tire service.
Brignac said a grand jury would be convened Monday, June 6, to review the evidence brought forth in the state audit. The complete audit can be found at www.lla.state.la.us.
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