Sister of Mannie Fresh found murdered in New Orleans' Home

Mannie Fresh's sister, Angela Bryant, was shot and killed Wednesday night in her New Orleans home, according to local TV affiliate WWLTV. Police reportedly said the 42-year-old mother's two young children were present but not physically harmed.

Authorities said Bryant, whose body was discovered early Thursday morning, was murdered between 10 p.m. and midnight, according to WWLTV. Her black 1998 Lexus LS 400 reportedly went missing after the murder.

Bryant's husband, who had been out of town when his wife was killed, arrived at the house before noon and was distraught, according to the WWLTV report. The couple got married last month, and Bryant celebrated her birthday with family on Wednesday night, WWLTV said. Police reportedly did not elaborate on the conditions of the children, ages 2 and 7, but said they were safe and healthy.

Mannie Fresh (real name: Byron O. Thomas) — a legendary producer who claims T.I.'s "Big Things Poppin' " as his latest hit — was reportedly on his way back to his native New Orleans from Texas.

What Is the Army Corps of Engineers trying to hide?

I read a troubling editorial, in the Times Picayune, today regarding allegations against the Army Corps of Engineers. According to the article:

Raymond Seed, a civil engineering professor at University of California-Berkeley, has filed an ethics complaint with the engineering society saying that its leaders and the corps tried to prevent independent teams such as his from gathering critical evidence at the levee failure sites and from speaking out about their findings.

Mr. Seed went on to say that:

1. The corps used its leverage with the group to try to silence differing views.

2. At the corps' request, the engineering trade group appointed an external review panel to provide expert advice to corps investigators who served on the Interagency Performance Evaluation Task Force, known as IPET. The corps paid the group $2 million for that work, a payment Mr. Seed contends is a conflict of interest.

3. The corps reneged on a promise to give his team access to soil samples at the 17th Street Canal and then tried to prevent his team from collecting its own samples. The corps only gave in after another independent research group, Team Louisiana, got the help of Louisiana's attorney general.

4. ASCE officials tried to keep their own review team members, as well as Mr. Seed's group and Team Louisiana, from testifying about their initial findings before Congress.

What is the Army Corp of engineers trying to hide? What role did they play in the levees' failure? We should all take Mr. Seed's complaints seriously and not remain quiet on this issue.

New Orleans' Inspector General Gets Needed Funds

This is the best news to come out of New Orleans:

Calling it a historic moment for New Orleans, City Council members on Tuesday offered effusive and unanimous support for Inspector General Robert Cerasoli $3.2 million budget request to launch his office next year.

The sum, which is up for council approval when it votes Friday on the entire budget, amounts to more than double what Mayor Ray Nagin had recommended in his 2008 spending plan for the newly established anti-corruption agency. It includes $300,000 to finance the city's Ethics Review Board, which the mayor's budget excluded.

New Orleans' citizens are tired of the corruption and graft in the Big Easy and we welcome this change. This is a positive step toward making New Orleans a great place to live.

Mayor Ray Nagin Doesn't Practice What He Preaches

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin has not cast a vote in three citywide elections. Mayor Nagin has also made the following statements concerning those who don't vote:


"It was kind of offensive to me, because here I am bustin' my butt every day and all I'm asking citizens to do is to plug into the democratic process."

"Take 20 minutes of your time and decide."

"Don't just let this thing happen without you voicing your opinion."

While noting that the apathy appeared to cut across all social, racial and economic lines, Nagin reminded African-Americans in particular of the struggles their forebears endured for the franchise.

"People were bit by dogs and, you know, fire hoses and all that," he said. "So everybody, please go out and vote."


This is very interesting. Please do not follow the Mayor's example.

Top Leaders To Attend Levee Summit

Dozens of local, state and congressional decision-makers will gather with regional levee district leaders today to strategize on how to tackle major obstacles to planned hurricane protection system improvements.

Levee officials have said a key challenge to a higher level of hurricane protection by the 2011 deadline is the match -- an estimated $1 billion or more -- that Congress and the Bush administration are requiring of the state and levee districts.

Other issues involve private property rights and public safety, including how to get all the land needed to build expanded levees and flood walls and where to find the 145 million cubic yards of clay that the Army Corps of Engineers estimates are needed to do the work.

Corruption Cases In The New Orleans' Area

From the Associated Press Via KatC-News


Defendants and details of recent high-profile corruption cases in the New Orleans area:

STAN BARRE, a businessman, and KERRY DeCAY, former director of property management for the city of New Orleans.

_ Each pleaded guilty in January 2007 to conspiracy to commit mail fraud against the city and Johnson Controls Inc., a company dealing in energy efficiency and climate control. Barre has been cooperating with federal investigators.

_ Federal prosecutors called this a kickback and fraudulent billing scheme tied to a contract meant to reduce city expenses. The pleas were among several in a years-long investigation of corruption under former Mayor Marc Morial's administration. Morial hasn't been accused of wrongdoing. Update: Kerry Decay received a 9 year prison term. Barre is awaiting sentence.

ELLENESE BROOKS-SIMMS, former New Orleans school board member.

_ Pleaded guilty in June to conspiracy to commit federal program fraud.

_ Accused of conspiring with a local businessman from 2001-2004 to buy a software program for the public school system and accepting about $140,000 in bribes for promoting the software. The federal charge did not identify the businessman. At least 29 people have been charged, and 23 guilty pleas entered, in this years-long federal probe of the Orleans Parish school system, according to the U.S. attorney's office.

JOSEPH IMPASTATO, former St. Tammany Parish councilman.

_ Pleaded not guilty in May to charges including making false statements on federal tax returns and extortion and money laundering in a hurricane debris-removal contract. His trial has not yet taken place.

WILLIAM JEFFERSON, U.S. congressman, New Orleans.

_ Pleaded not guilty in June in U.S. District Court in Virginia to a 16-count indictment alleging he solicited bribes from companies while using his influence to broker business deals in Africa. Jefferson's attorneys have sought to have bribery charges dismissed.

MARK SMITH, former director of the state film commission

_ Pleaded guilty in September to conspiracy and bribery.

_ Accused of taking $65,000 in bribes for approving inflated movie budgets that allowed a film company to get state tax credits from 2003-2005.

OLIVER THOMAS, former New Orleans City Council president.

_ Pleaded guilty in August to bribery of a public official

_ Accused of taking $15,000 in bribes in 2002 from Barre, who wanted to keep a parking lot contract he held under the Morial administration. Once seen as a potential mayoral candidate, Thomas resigned his council seat in August.
Update: Thomas sentenced to 37 months in federal prison.

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Louisiana's Film Industry Has Flourished After Hurricane Katrina

In addition to sharing the same abbreviation as the film industry's capital, the state of Louisiana is capturing more of the dollars going into movie and television production -- roughly half a billion dollars for about 50 projects this year.

While it isn't exactly pirating away thousands of jobs and making Southern California economists nervous, the boom in Louisiana's film industry is raising hopes it can be a catalyst for recovery from economic devastation wrought by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

According to state officials, Louisiana now ranks behind only California and New York in U.S. film production. It's adding film-related jobs at a rate of 23% a year, the strongest growth rate in the industry throughout the U.S, officials say.

Levee Board Names Counsel

The levee board has named Robert LaCour, veteran attorney to the East Jefferson Levee District, as temporary counsel to the authority and all three levee districts. The three now under the authority's umbrella also include Orleans Levee District and the Lake Borgne Basin Levee District in St. Bernard Parish.

In his new role as gatekeeper, LaCour will decide whether to handle specific issues or to pass them to the Louisiana attorney general's office, which state law designates as the authority's general counsel. LaCour also will assign work to a short list of outside lawyers whom the authority approved this month after being vetted by its legal committee. Additionally, he will review those legal bills for appropriateness.

Orleans Parish Criminal Sheriff, Marlin Gusman, Engaged In Double Billing

The Orleans Parish Criminal Sheriff's Office overcharged the city of New Orleans almost $2 million for inmates who actually were in the custody of the federal government and were already being paid for by the U.S. Marshal's Service or Immigration and Custom Enforcement, Sheriff Marlin Gusman acknowledged Wednesday.

The Sheriff's Office said it refunded the money Wednesday.

The double billing began after Hurricane Katrina, in November 2005, when Gusman began booking federal inmates brought into Orleans Parish Prison at Central Lockup, the same place as anyone else arrested in New Orleans, said Renee Lapeyrolerie, a spokeswoman for Gusman. The disclosure marks the second major double-billing problem Gusman has acknowledged this month. He blamed both on problems with the computerized inventory of the inmates housed at the city's jail facilities.
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After two major double billing problems, maybe he should stop shifting blame. He should look at his own incompetence.

Federal Government Wants Harsher Sentence for Former Councilman Oliver Thomas

After signing a plea agreement in which he promised to cooperate with authorities, former New Orleans' City Councilman Oliver Thomas told FBI agents and federal prosecutors during his second debriefing session that he "did not wish to be a 'rat,' " according to the sentencing memorandum filed by U.S. Attorney Jim Letten's office. Thomas then refused to discuss his possible knowledge of other crimes, according to the memo.

Ironically, Thomas' own crime came to the attention of authorities as a result of another convict's cooperation.

Restaurateur and political operative Stan "Pampy" Barre, who is awaiting sentencing for his role in skimming money from a City Hall energy contract, told authorities that Thomas had extorted roughly $15,000 in bribes from him in exchange for a pledge that he would help Barre retain a portion of a French Quarter parking contract.

Thomas also directed Barre to take on a partner, Joseph Jourdain, the brother of one of his aides.

Barre initially provided little useful information to prosecutors after he pleaded guilty to three felony charges in January. But that changed after one of his co-conspirators, former city Property Management Director Kerry DeCay, was sentenced to nine years in prison after pleading guilty to the same charges.

The harsh sentence -- which owed in part to DeCay's lack of cooperation -- seemed to serve as a wake-up call to Barre. Less than two months later, prosecutors had persuaded Thomas to plead guilty to bribery charges based on information provided by Barre.

Army Corps of Engineer tried to stop inquiry

What's Going On With The Army Corps of Engineers?

The leader of an independent team of researchers investigating the New Orleans levee failures has filed an ethics complaint with the American Society of Civil Engineers, claiming executives of that trade organization and the Army Corps of Engineers have systematically attempted to undermine his group's investigation.

University of California-Berkeley civil engineering Professor Raymond Seed led a group whose conclusions at times contrasted sharply with those of corps-sponsored investigations. In his 42-page letter, sent Oct. 30 to the former president of the ASCE, Seed charged that the corps-sponsored probe produced flawed results that absolved the corps of its full measure of blame -- and, more important, led to mistakes in the rebuilding of levees and walls in the area.

Is this surprising to anyone? What does the ASCE have to hide?

Former New Orleans' Councilman to be Sentenced Wednesday

Former Councilman Oliver Thomas is scheduled to be sentence Wednesday at 10 a.m.

Though he faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, Thomas is likely to receive far less for various reasons, including his previously clean record, his admission of guilt and the relatively small amount of money, about $20,000, that he confessed to taking.

Federal sentencing guidelines call for a sentence in the range of 30 to 37 months based on the offenses Thomas admitted, according to Tulane law professor and former federal prosecutor Tania Tetlow. Federal judges are no longer required to follow sentencing guidelines.

However, it appears unlikely he will receive extra leniency in exchange for providing what federal law calls "substantial assistance" in the investigation or prosecution of another person, according to courthouse observers. Were that the case, prosecutors would have almost certainly asked Vance to delay Thomas' sentencing.

"When someone is cooperating, you usually see one or two motions to continue," said Loyola Law School professor Dane Ciolino. "The purpose is to make sure he cooperates as expected, and that he testifies as expected."

"The government has a policy of waiting (to sentence a convict) until after he has testified," agreed lawyer Julian Murray, a former federal prosecutor. "It doesn't mean he hasn't given them some information that was helpful, but it's unlikely he'll testify in another case."

Not only does a delay ensure prosecutors the testimony they seek, it gives them time to complete the paperwork to request a downward departure, often known as a cooperation letter, or a 5K1 after the section of the federal sentencing code that describes it.

That Thomas' sentencing appears to be on schedule is a "pretty good suggestion that he is not cooperating -- or at least has not been able to deliver any additional wrongdoers to the government," Ciolino said.

In contrast, Ciolino noted, convicted restaurateur and political operative Stan "Pampy" Barre, -- who helped provide the government with the evidence it needed to prosecute Thomas -- still awaits sentencing.

Barre pleaded guilty in January to conspiring to skim more than $1 million from a large City Hall energy contract awarded by former Mayor Marc Morial. His sentencing, now set for January, has been delayed numerous times.

Thomas' lawyer, Clarence Roby, said he couldn't discuss the details of Thomas' conversations with investigators. But he hinted that his client hadn't provided the government much information, and he said he doesn't expect any delay in the sentencing.

"He's cooperated the best he could," Roby said of Thomas. "But unlike Stan Barre and others, he didn't necessarily walk in saying, 'Let me tell you about every corrupt act I've ever witnessed.' He's in an unenviable position. But he's taken responsibility for his misdeeds."

Jackie Clarkson Wins the Council At Large Seat

Jackie Clarkson, a former council member and state legislator, defeated Councilwoman Cynthia Willard-Lewis, the District E representative who ran with the backing of Mayor Ray Nagin and three of her council colleagues. Willard-Lewis did not have to give up her district seat to run.

The election was called to fill the position vacated in August by Oliver Thomas, who resigned after pleading guilty to federal felony charges of accepting bribes from ex-political operative, ex-restaurateur and convicted felon, Stan "Pampy" Barre.

Congressman William Jefferson Accused of Additional Bribery Schemes

The Justice Department said Friday that it intends to present evidence of two additional bribery schemes, including one involving efforts to win a contract with NASA, as part of its corruption case against Rep. William Jefferson, D-New Orleans.

In both cases, prosecutors said, Jefferson sought a payoff for relatives in exchange for his help in setting up business deals.

The government listed 11 schemes in its June 4 indictment, which accused the nine-term congressman of bribery, racketeering and violation of the corrupt foreign practices act. The Justice Department is not looking to add any charges to the indictment, but said it plans to use the two new alleged schemes as evidence at the trial, which is scheduled to begin Jan. 16.

Well, well well: Jefferson used his position to advance the interest of his family members. This is just another example of Family Corruption In The Big Easy. Too bad the feds haven't fully addressed the family corruption that centered around the City Hall energy savings contract with Johnson Control. -- Just follow the family trail:

Ex-Drug Court contractors plead innocent in fraud case

Two former subcontractors of a St. Tammany Parish Drug Court contractor that drew state and court auditors’ scrutiny entered innocent pleas to felony criminal charges Thursday.

Guice Giambrone, 61, of Baton Rouge, and Slidell Police Officer William Massimini, 31, pleaded innocent to the charge of second-degree injuring of a public record.

Massimini also pleaded innocent before Judge Patricia Hedges of the 22nd Judicial District Court to the charge of public payroll fraud.

A June 2007 Louisiana Legislative Auditor compliance audit found Massimini and Giambrone may have broken state law in their handling of payment records state auditors believe were falsified.

The reports were purported to support Massimini’s pay for work as a compliance officer for the Slidell Juvenile Drug Court between January 2005 and January 2006.

A St. Tammany Parish grand jury indicted the men in late August. On Thursday, Hedges also set a Jan. 7 trial date for Giambrone and Massimini, who are co-defendants.

They formerly worked as subcontractors for Human Services Foundation of Baton Rouge. Under contract with the court, the nonprofit helped administer the entire 22nd Judicial District Drug Court program, of which the Slidell program is part, for eight years until July 2006.

The contract ended after court officials uncovered financial questions later brought to light in the 2005 audit released in August 2006 and the subsequent compliance audit this year.

Human Services Foundation officials have denied wrongdoing or knowledge of it.

The Drug Court program helps nonviolent juvenile and adult drug offenders get off drugs and employed. The 22nd Judicial District’s jurisdiction encompasses Washington and St. Tammany parishes.

The questioned documents were produced after court officials began asking questions nearly two years ago about Massimini’s work, the June compliance audit says.

Massimini was charged with checking up on juvenile clients for the Slidell court, a job outside his duty as a city police officer. Some of the questioned documents claimed that he visited clients the day Hurricane Katrina struck Slidell, Aug. 29, 2005, auditors said.

Giambrone is accused of turning in some of the questioned documents.

Jim Moorman, Giambrone’s attorney, said his client simply delivered records and did not falsify them. Giambrone told the auditors the same thing.

Massimini’s attorney, Vince Lobello, didn’t return a call seeking comment Thursday.

The Slidell Police Department continues to employ Massimini. He was moved from a detective’s post to desk duty in the Patrol Division before his indictment Aug. 29, said Capt. Kevin Foltz, police spokesman.

Massimini has been instructed not to engage in police enforcement action while his case and an internal police investigation continue, Foltz said.

The change in job assignments is not a demotion, he said.

Director Demme brings a teen's face out of New Orleans' crowd

Jonathan Demme traveled to New Orleans to document the lives of residents still abandoned after Hurricane Katrina.

And he may have found a star.

While shooting this summer's PBS documentary Right to Return: New Home Movies From the Lower 9th Ward, about residents of the hardest-hit region of the city trying to rebuild on their own, he came upon Kyrah Julian, a particularly eloquent — and angry — teenager.

"She was talking about more than the power being off," Demme says. "She spoke about the ecological dangers, the personal losses. She was such a compelling image on camera."

So Demme cast Julian in next year's Dancing With Shiva, a family comedy starring Anne Hathaway and Debra Winger.

Special Election Scheduled for Louisiana House District

The U.S. House seat in Louisiana’s 1st District, soon to be vacated by Republican Governor-elect Bobby Jindal , will be filled in a special election process that will begin with party primaries on March 8 and end with a general election that almost certainly will be held on May 3. The election is unlikely to produce any shift in the partisan balance of power in the House, as the heavily Republican district is strongly favored to stay in that party’s hands.

Retiring Democratic Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco — whom two-term House incumbent Jindal will succeed after winning Louisiana’s off-year election for governor on Oct. 20 — issued a proclamation Tuesday that set the election schedule, which also includes an April 5 primary runoff date if no one wins a majority vote in one or both parties in the March 8 first-round vote.

The proclamation includes a proviso that the general election would be held April 5 instead of May 3 if no runoffs are necessary. But a runoff is almost sure to be needed on the Republican side, given the long list of candidates who are expected to pursue that party’s nomination.

The candidate qualifying period for the contest runs from January 29 to 31.

Jindal previously stated that he will resign his House seat Jan. 14, the same day he will be inaugurated as governor. His easy victory this year over a field that included 11 other candidates of all party affiliations entitles him to assume the office that he narrowly lost to Blanco in the 2003 state election.

Louisiana Representative Uses Racial Slur

I wonder how many people will be infuriated by this latest development. Will people vote for a white state lawmaker, who calls a black civil rights veteran 'Buckwheat'? According to the news story, Rep. Carla Blanchard Dartez, a Democrat, acknowledged that she ended a Thursday night conversation with Hazel Boykin by saying, "Talk to you later, Buckwheat." Dartez had been thanking Boykin for driving voters to the polls.

Buckwheat, a black child character in the "Little Rascals" comedies of the 1930s and '40s, is viewed as a racial stereotype.

Boykin, 75, helped desegregate restaurants and the parish school system in the 1960s. Her son, Jerome, is president of the Terrebonne Parish chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

"I've never had no one talk to me that way, and I considered it a racial slur," Hazel Boykin said. "I know the meaning of it; it's just like the N-word."

On Monday, Jerome Boykin held a news conference asking voters to cast ballots against Dartez, who faces Republican Joe Harrison in Saturday's runoff.

Lessens Learned from Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina devastated the City of New Orleans, however, other cities will now learn from that devastation:

When members of the National League of Cities convene in New Orleans this week to discuss the most effective ways to run local governments, they will use the city as a living laboratory for an issue of paramount concern: how to prepare for and recover from disaster.

A delegation of 3,500 mayors, police chiefs and city council members from around the county will brainstorm Tuesday through Saturday on ways to reduce crime, promote public transit and strengthen municipal finances, which are strained in many parts of the country by the growing costs of health care and pensions.

While the gathering is not the largest to take place since Hurricane Katrina, it is an important milepost in the recovery of the tourism industry. The National League of Cities booked its convention in New Orleans before the storm, and it was one of the first to affirm its commitment to the city when few could predict how quickly hotels, taxis and restaurants would return.

Executive Director Donald Borut said cities around the country provided for New Orleans after the storm by sending emergency response teams, equipment and money. He said visiting city leaders will continue to participate in the recovery with a series of public service projects, including the construction of a playground at Joe Brown Park.


The host city generally underwrites the annual National League of Cities conference by donating space in a convention center or providing free bus rides and other amenities, but Borut said his group decided to pick up those expenses because New Orleans is still weak-kneed from the storm.

Flynn helps No. 2 LSU down La. Tech

Matt Flynn completed 14-of-26 passes for 237 yards with three touchdowns, as second-ranked LSU overwhelmed Louisiana Tech, 58-10, at Tiger Stadium.

Jacob Hester ran for a career-high 117 yards and one touchdown for the Tigers (9-1), who have reeled three straight wins since losing 43-37 in triple overtime to Kentucky on October 13. Flynn also ran for a touchdown and had two interceptions, while Terrance Toliver caught three passes for 119 yards. Brandon LaFell racked up 80 yards on five receptions.

With the victory, coupled with losses by Alabama and Auburn, LSU clenched the SEC Western Division Championship.