Richard Rainey reports No explanation given for postponing Jefferson Parish officials’ grand jury appearance – and with that we begin Clue – the Grand Jury version Part 2!
Jefferson Parish elected officials’ date with a federal grand jury has been postponed.
Parish President John Young and Parish Council member Chris Roberts said Thursday that the U.S. attorney’s office gave no reason, nor a rescheduled date to appear. U.S. attorney’s office spokeswoman Kathy English wouldn’t comment.
Young and Roberts, along with council members Tom Capella, Louis Congemi, Diane Hollis, Elton Lagasse, Byron Lee and Cynthia Lee-Sheng, had been subpoenaed to testify this morning at the Hale Boggs Federal Building.
Ed Sherman, a Tulane University law professor, said grand jury sessions usually are postponed to let a prosecutor better prepare to question witnesses…
While less likely, Sherman said, a delay could signal that a witness or even a target of the investigation has begun cooperating or “putting out feelers that he’s willing to talk”…
Roll the dice and offer a clue!
Hmmm, or they all lawyered up.
QUESTION: Mr. Young, while you were sitting as Councilman-at-Large you received a complaint from a JP Vendor alleging that an Asst CAO had repeatedly e-mailed pornographic material to them unsolicited. You directed Deano Bonano to ‘handle’ this matter.
Could you tell this Grand Jury:
1) What is the name of the Asst CAO who was alleged to have distributed this pornographic material ?
2) What were the findings by Mr. Bonano as it concerned these allegations ?
3) Having been apprised of such activity, that said Asst CAO, while at work and using a JP work computer, was alleged to have been engaged in distributing pornographic material…DID YOU REPORT this to DA Paul Connick ? And if not, why not ?
QUESTION: Mr. Roberts, the Grand Jury has been noticed that Aaron Broussard hosted a fundraiser on your behalf, July 15, 2009, at Messina’s Restaurant in Kenner, La; an event that put approximately $100,000 thousand dollars into your campaign fund. Around that same time in 2009, you acquired a 25% partnership interest from Troy Aaron Broussard (Aaron’s son) in the publication, The West Bank Beacon. I introduce into evidence this report:
Jeremy Alford, TJR, and Staff, reports on February 11, 2011:
Among the more revealing nuggets from this newly-posted disclosure report is the 25 percent ownership Roberts and his wife acquired in THE WEST BANK BEACON in 2009.
http://thejeffersonreport.com/?p=1744
Now, could you tell the Grand Jury what type of arrangement you have with Mr. Broussard that would entice him to usher you around the East Bank Business Community, to raise money from his long time moneymen and supporters ?
Did you meet with Mr. Henry Shane ? And if the answer is yes, how much money did he pledge, promise or give you for your campaign to run as Councilman-at-Large ?
Did you meet with Jim Hudson ? And if the answer is yes, how much money did he pledge, promise, or give you for your campaign to run for Councilman-at-Large ?
Mr. Roberts could you please tell this Grand Jury the names of any and all other individuals you met by introduction through Mr. Broussard since November 1st, 2010 thru and up to this day ? And the amounts of money pledged, promised and/or given to you as a result of those meetings.
Mr. Capella: On or about February 19, 2009 did you make an email inquiry to then Parish Attorney Wilkinson asking about the status of the negotiations with River Birch for the takeover of the Jefferson Parish landfill?
And to Finance Director Gwen Bolotte , in the event of her Grand Jury subpoena:
On or about November 19,2008 did you send an email to RBuller re: Landfill Budget stating, in essence, that it ( the budget) had ” … no basis in reality…” and that you had been instructed by Tim Whitmer to ” go month to month to make it appear the JP landfill budget was depleted…”?
And to Marnie Winter, Director of Environmental Dept, in the event of another subpoena to the Grand Jury:
Did you receive from RBuller on or about October 12, 2007 an email whose subject line read UPDATED LANDFILL CLOSURE MEMO which ostensibly contained closure costs for the JP landfill?
And BTW where is Johana Chambers and why did she leave the JP Environmental Dept?
And to Council Aide Tony Digerolamo, Marnie Winter and RBuller
On or about May 05,2006 at approximately 5:57 p.m. did you converse via email re the EXPIRATION OF LANDFILL CONTRACT, in which , in part, you discussed the manner in which any new RFP should be developed , which included but was not limited to :
CDM under Task in Amendment 10 preparing RFP documents for a new landfill contract with Parish input, which task you estimated would take 6 months
Advertising the RFP for 6 months or so after it was prepared by CDM
Giving Potential Proposers time to evaluate and prepare a proposal
JP taking 3 months to evaluate proposals
Estimating a 30 month schedule to complete all these tasks even fasttracking?
AGAIN Chris Roberts speaks for the Council. Not one of the two At-Large members, oh no.
Roberts *ALWAYS* speaks for the Council. Always. The others DO NOT OPEN THEIR MOUTHS publicly.
“No explanation given for postponing Jefferson Parish officials
Roberts and Letten…”Ignant and Shit”… thank you Screamin Jay Hawkins for providing me with such an apropos phrase to accurately describe this dog and pony show…
I pray that this quote will become a story of irony foretold:
‘Roberts says if Broussard did do anything wrong, the authorities will get to the bottom of it.
“You can’t run away from a corruption probe, and the bottom line is that the record of the U.S. Attorney’s office speaks for itself. Those folks are going to follow the facts regardless of whether or not you are still in office or not in office. If there is something there that they feel as though rises to the level of criminal prosecution, then I’m certain that’s were it will lead,” the councilman said.’
I wonder who
Gate, I’m thinking LaGasse, Congemi and Byron Lee, and maybe Capella, Roberts or Cindy lee, are in for a major balltwisting.
The facts have been laid out, it’s just a question as to whether that group will be copping to them or lieing about them.
Congemi brought a lawyer. Kudos to him, the others might regret their hubris in not doing so.
Tele: I love it ” Cindy-lee” Poifect ….
FYI: Letten’s wife’s maiden name is CARUSO