We have new subpoenas out in the Jefferson Parish Political Corruption investigation

Sources are telling Slabbed that Team Fed recently showed up at the Yenni Building bearing new subpoenas.  While I will not go into detail at this point IMHO this signals a widening of the current investigation.

In another development that is possibly related federal courthouse observers have told Slabbed that Aaron Broussard’s driver Mike Miller also recently appeared before the federal grand jury.  While at first blush that may not seem like much consider that Harry Lee got his start in politics as Hale Bogg’s driver and Noodles Normand got his start in the parish driving Harry Lee.  I’m told Mr Miller would likely know where most if not all the Broussard era skeletons are buried.

I take this all as a clear sign the grip around Aaron Broussard’s balls is tightening and this folks is a very good thing.

I’ll have more down the road provided it doesn’t hinder the ongoing investigation or burn my sources.

sop

16 thoughts on “We have new subpoenas out in the Jefferson Parish Political Corruption investigation”

  1. I write this with reservation and caution:

    In the event that any white Jefferson Parish Politico Mafioso are indicted and prosecuted … you can rest assured that USAED Jim Letten IS NOT in charge of the 'JP Scandals' Investigation (assuming he ever was); and that that the DA of Jefferson Parish, Paul Connick, Jr., WILL BE indicted for Misprision of a Felony and Criminal Malfeasance, which may also include him as principal in the contractor campaign contributor RICO indictment.

  3. Robert, couldn't agree more with your post…I'm not holding my breath on 'Lettem-go' doing anything on this ongoing Jefferson Parish corruption but , hopefully, 'Gate is correct and Washington is calling the shots..

    Connick won't do anything as he's head of the family in J.P…so, hopefully the Feds will eventually hand out some indictments with some teeth to them.

    Gosh knows the citizens of Jefferson Parish have suffered too long at the hands of these miscreants.

  4. I just about pissed on myself from laughing after reading Gill’s first line in the Aaron Bennett opinion piece:

    “Reporters are not required to read dubious characters their Miranda rights, which is too bad for Aaron Bennett. …”

    Contractor Aaron Bennett doesn't grasp his right to silence: James Gill
    Published: Wednesday, October 12, 2011, 7:52 AM http://www.nola.com/opinions/index.ssf/2011/10/co…

    And hopefully too bad Walt Barowka …

    It seems that T-P reporter Rainey also failed to read Walt Barowka (Barowka & Bonura, also known as BBEC) his Miranda rights as Barowka relates to us the ‘quid pro quo’ aspect of political campaign contributions they make to guarantee that there IT contract is continually approved year after year:

    “… the seven-member panel unanimously ordered the administration to negotiate another year-long deal with Barowka & Bonura. The relationship that started in 1994 with a $132,000 cap has since grown to $1.7 million.”

    “ We pretty much support all the incumbents, because it's the nature of the beast," Barowka said….”

    “…I think it's unfortunate that a councilman has to spend three to four hundred thousand dollars to win an election," Barowka said. "I'm sure that contractors like us are contributing to the problem, but I don't know how to stop it.”

    No bids for Jefferson Parish tech work; $1.7 million contract to stay with current vender
    Published: Friday, September 02, 2011, 4:30 PM Updated: Friday, September 02, 2011, 4:59 PM
    By Richard Rainey, The Times-Picayune http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2011/09/no…

    I can only pray some of those subpoenas were served on the IT people on the 9th floor …

  6. bennett was involved in jeff parish thru associated contractors/home solutions. some of the reported contracts were from the jp school board, jp rec department and the jp govt.

  7. The reasoning given by Councilman – at – Large Ass,Chrissy "The Special Man" Roberts was that because the emergency pumping stations and new 911 building was serviced by BBEC and owners Barowka and Bonura and their technicians and since it was hurricane season, the Parish should not change contractors like horses in the middle of the stream. Well, after 17 years its not a stream but a mighty river of pay-to-play campaign funding kickbacks and sure enough the Council of Clowns still awarded BBEC a full term $1.7 MILLION contract so they could continue to float their big fat asses down the Payola River.

    Well I say what ingenuity in thievery reasoning of the Clowns but it is all BS because they could have easily gone on a month to month extension with BBEC as they do many other professional service contracts at every Council meeting.

    CALLING ALL COUNCIL CLOWNS : Better get all your whitewater rafting in cause when the Inspector General hits the Payola River he's going to be gauging and gating river flow and eyeballing all the kayaks and kayakers.Might want to think about trading your oceangoing kayaks in for some styrofoam boogie boards or floaties for "The Special Man ".

  9. koallawalla..my sentiments exactly on as to when the T.P. chooses to print these articles..guess they figure if they can bury it, nobody will actually notice.

    That was , however, a good article the T.P. did on giving the various timelines, and misappropriations of J.P. taxpayer monies by J.P. officials as regards the albatross Jefferson Parish Performing Arts Center.

    You have no idea how I dogged LaGasse on that Performing Arts Center issue – sent him numerous emails ( at least nine emails alone) and personally called him out at Council meetings, but he never once answered any of my questions. It was then that I knew he and the rest of the gang were going to any lengths necessary to cover up the deplorable job & poor decision making that the J.P. Council and J.P. Government did in progressing that project along.
    You would think that somebody would eventually go to jail from this debacle but, again, this is Jefferson Parish.

  10. Up until this sizzling expose written by Rich Rainey of the T-P was posted, the bets among most of us was that the new round of subpoenas concerned themselves with these top 3:

    1) BBE&C …. the IT thugs on the 9th floor … thanks again Walt Baworka for explaining the quid pro quo being the ‘nature of the beast’

    2) Peggy Barton … and the massive payroll fraud in the Parish Attorney’s office while Wilkinson, Barton and Gruntz were in charge

    3) IESI … the new River Birch fiasco

    BUT NOW THIS HAS BEEN BROUGHT TO THE FOREFRONT ONCE AGAIN:

    Jefferson Performing Arts Center job riddled with errors, legislative auditor says
    Published: Friday, October 14, 2011, 7:28 PM Updated: Friday, October 14, 2011, 7:37 PM
    By Richard Rainey, The Times-Picayune http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2011/10/je…

    Here some of my favorite quotes:

    “… the state legislative auditor describes how Finance Director Gwen Bolotte, without ever checking an invoice, cut a check for $5.6 million — doubling Youssef's figure — at Whitmer's request on June 24, 2009. That was the same day the Parish Council unanimously approved the change order, the fifth since breaking ground in 2007.”

    “Whitmer told legislative auditors that he had Bolotte cut the $5.6 million check for concrete revisions because Councilman Elton Lagasse asked for it. Lagasse told auditors he didn't recall but that if Whitmer said it, it likely was true, according to the audit.”

    “Problems with the center's design began even before the first backhoe cut into the ground. The foundation had been deemed five feet too low, putting the center at risk for flooding. But rather than raise the design of the structure five feet at a cost of $500,000, Broussard agreed instead to buy annual flood insurance, the audit stated.”

    CALDARERA … ah ehmmm! … the CONTRACTOR:
    “By the time the fire marshal weighed in, the parish had already awarded Caldarera the $26.5 million contract … “

    “Meanwhile, Caldarera operated for at least part of the project without a risk insurance policy. Company owner Joe Caldarera told the legislative auditor that he had an agreement with the parish attorney's office to hold off on buying one until the center's foundation was laid, but no one could corroborate that, according to the audit.”

    “Perrin & Carter has made $3.2 million so far from its work at the Jefferson Performing Arts Center, according to the audit. Caldarera has made $38.4 million and Wisznia made $1.9 million, according to the audit.”

    THIRTY-EIGHT MILLION DOLLARS, $38,000,000 Caldarera has raked in … the original project was stated to be 26.5 MILLION … Caldarera has received TWELVE MILLION DOLLARS, $12,000,000, over the original contract price.

    AS WE READ MORE:

    “The incident was a prime example of the pratfalls that continue to plague the 1,000-seat theater complex 13 years after the an architect was appointed to design it. The change orders are now up to seven, tallying $18.1 million and pushing the project's total budget past $44.7 million. And that could climb again: According to the audit, officials are considering an eighth change order that balloon total spending beyond the project's current $52.4 million cap.”

    And who do you think Tommy Wilkinson sued … Wiszina the architect whose fee was $1.9 million … and so far the Burglass Law firm, one Tommy’s bestest of buddies had been appointed outside counsel and is billing HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS in outside Attorneys’ fees … maybe next time the reporter will take notice of these rather sizable costs to the taxpayers …

    Caldarera …this is the same Contractor who couldn’t read that the Zephyr’s ball field blueprints INCLUDED SEATS !!!

    Well I took a poll … THIS CESSPOOL OF CONSTRUCTION CORRUPTION HAS FINALLY MADE THE BIG TIME AND IT’S ABOUT TIME !!!

  12. I'm suggesting Lagasse be investigated now for his role in the JP Performing Arts Building overruns and be removed before his turn comes to be the Council Clown who conducts the Council Clown meetings.

    Otherwise this is what it may sound and look like with Lagasse conducting the meeting:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzMDGYKLSzk

    Maybe slightly cruel but it is reality.

  13. I thought I had read the definitive comment on Broussard's ‘Waterboo’ $$$ fiasco when reading this quote from Lagasse in last Friday’s T-P article by Rainey:

    “Whitmer told legislative auditors that he had Bolotte cut the $5.6 million check for concrete revisions because Councilman Elton Lagasse asked for it. Lagasse told auditors he didn’t recall but that if Whitmer said it, it likely was true, according to the audit.” http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2011/10/je…

    I was wrong… here’s more incredulous and priceless words out of our Parish President’s mouth:

    “Jefferson Parish President John Young said Monday he had no idea that a $5.6 million change order to the Jefferson Performing Arts Center approved in June 2009 by the Jefferson Parish Council — which included Young as an at-large representative at the time — had previously been rejected by one of the parish's top engineers.”

    AND YOUNG CONTINUES WITH A QUOTE THAT MAY BE ONE OF THE UNDERSTATEMENTS OF ALL TIMES !!! :

    "That causes me grave concern, he said.”

    REALLY ??? Young, on the Council for 6 1/2 years, voting in lock-step 7-0 for every change order increase, now wants to invoke the Sgt. Schultz defense … “I know nothing …”

    Legislative auditor's report criticizes Jefferson Performing Arts Center project
    Published: Monday, October 17, 2011, 8:30 PM
    By Bob Ross, The Times-Picayune http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2011/10/le…

    I was going to close by asking how stupid can the citizens of Jefferson Parish be … however the lack of public outcry relating to this construction cesspool of corruption, namely the JPPAC … gives unequivocal evidence … pretty fucking stupid I’d say !!!

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