Latest news with #FirstCircuitCourtofAppeal
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
District attorney challenges ‘lenient' sentence for Louisiana twin brothers in money laundering scheme
BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — 18th Judicial District Attorney Tony Clayton has appealed the sentence for the McCormick brothers in the First Circuit Court of Appeal, who faced money laundering charges. In Dec. 2024, Robert and Thomas McCormick, both 51, were found guilty of multiple charges, including: Conspiracy to commit money laundering. Money laundering. Conspiracy to commit malfeasance in office. Conspiracy to commit filing false public documents. Conspiracy to commit felony theft. Conspiracy to commit prohibited splitting of profits. On May 9, they were sentenced to three years of probation as well as paying restitution for $214,262 to the State Fire Marshal's Office, $5,000 each to the Louisiana Legislative Auditor's Office, and paying court fees. Clayton believes the sentencing was too 'lenient.' The district attorney's office asked for jail time for the brothers and almost $850,000 in restitution. In addition, the Legislative Auditor's Office requested almost $98,000 in restitution. In a press release, Clayton mentioned that similar cases received more 'just sentences.' 'The McCormick brothers made over $800,000 off their money laundering scheme and milked the state and its citizens of hundreds of thousands of dollars,' said Clayton. 'Yet they were sentenced to only probation and to pay only $214,000 in restitution. We feel this sentence is excessively lenient for these crimes. They profited greatly from this illegal scheme. We feel strongly that the sentence should reflect the severity of these crimes.' According to the DA, Robert was an employee of the Louisiana State Fire Marshal's Office and Thomas was an attorney. The pair worked together to buy emergency supplies at a lower price and bid the items to the state for a higher price. These supplies included water, food, ice, and portable restrooms during state emergencies after hurricanes. Hyundai Ioniq 5 XRT: The EV Revolutionizer Mother abandons children, then reports them as missing Pit bulls rescued from neglect in Louisiana to go up for adoption New York Times agrees to license its material for Amazon's AI Toyota Tundra recall: Over 400K vehicles affected Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Louisiana Supreme Court upholds conviction of former BRPD officer
BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — The Louisiana Supreme Court is upholding the conviction of a former Baton Rouge police officer. Last March, former Baton Rouge Judge Eboni Rose convicted Donald Steele Jr. of a misdemeanor charge of malfeasance in office but later reversed her own ruling. Prosecutors appealed to the First Circuit Court of Appeal. That court also upheld the conviction. Steele's lawyers appealed to the Supreme Court, which ruled Tuesday to reinstate the original conviction. Steele will be resentenced at a later date. East Baton Rouge District Attorney Hillar Moore shared a statement with Louisiana First News Tuesday afternoon. Read the full statement below. 'The trial court's action of rendering a guilty verdict then later reversing that verdict was legally erroneous and needed correction. We are pleased that the Louisiana Supreme Court maintained Donald Steele's conviction for Malfeasance in Office in violation of La. R.S. 14:134 and we will prepare for sentencing.' EBR Parish District Attorney Hillar Moore Steele was accused of making sexual advances toward a 19-year-old woman during a traffic stop in 2021. According to arrest documents, Steele told her she was drinking and driving before telling her she wouldn't be getting a ticket because she was cute. Steele reportedly told her to follow his car to an abandoned warehouse near a downtown casino. An affidavit said he sexually assaulted the victim. Louisiana federal appeals court pauses order reopening death penalty case Lawmakers Unite for Funding for 9/11 Victims, State-Sponsored Terrorism Claims Trump suspends security clearances for Jack Smith's outside lawyers 21 DOGE staffers resign over refusal to 'dismantle' public services Shutdown fight collides with GOP push for Trump priorities Louisiana Supreme Court upholds conviction of former BRPD officer Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Associated Press
05-02-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Court upholds suspension of LSU professor who vulgarly criticized Trump and Louisiana Governor
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A Louisiana appeals court on Tuesday upheld the suspension of an LSU law professor who criticized Gov. Jeff Landry and President Donald Trump using vulgar language. While teaching a constitutional law class last month, tenured Prof. Ken Levy stated 'f(asterisk)(asterisk)(asterisk) the Governor' and employed the expletive to talk about Trump and students who supported him. Within a few days, LSU's administration informed Levy he had been suspended from his teaching responsibilities 'pending an investigation into student complaints of inappropriate statements made in your class,' according to a lawsuit Levy filed last week. The three-member First Circuit Court of Appeal's ruling overturned East Baton Rouge district judge Donald Johnson's order last week that LSU immediately reinstate Levy to his teaching role. This would require a 'full evidentiary hearing,' the appeals court ruled. A hearing is scheduled for Monday, lawyers for both parties say. The appeals court ruling upheld the rest of the district judge's temporary restraining order barring LSU from retaliating against Levy 'on account of his protected academic freedom and free speech.' Levy's attorney Jill Craft said she is pleased with the appeals court's decision to uphold 'the bulk' of the restraining order on behalf of her client. 'What it means is his rights are protected and LSU can't take any action against him and so that's a good thing,' Craft told The Associated Press. Jimmy Faircloth, Jr., an attorney representing LSU, said that the elements of the restraining order upheld by the appeals court are 'superfluous' and 'doesn't do anything other than tell LSU 'you can't break the law' which we know and we're not doing.' Levy's suspension is 'not a question of academic freedom' but rather about 'inappropriate conduct in the classroom,' LSU's Vice President of Marketing and Communications Todd Woodward said in an emailed statement. 'Our investigation found that Professor Levy created a classroom environment that was demeaning to students who do not hold his political view, threatening in terms of their grades, and profane,' Woodward added. Levy said in a sworn affidavit that he had made his comments 'in a joking manner' in order to highlight his support for the First Amendment and to emphasize the no recording policy in his class. Levy had issued a no recording rule 'because he did not want to be Governor Landry's next target — although that is ironically what happened,' Levy's lawsuit said. Last November, Gov. Landry had publicly called for LSU to discipline another law professor, Nicholas Bryner, who during a lecture criticized Trump and students who voted for him. Bryner remains employed by LSU. In a Tuesday post on X, Landry stated that Levy's conduct 'should not be tolerated at our taxpayer funded universities.' Levy's lawsuit said that LSU's actions violated his due process and 'chill and speech rights.'
Yahoo
04-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Appeals court overturns order to reinstate LSU law professor, but case continues
BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — The First Circuit Court of Appeal ruled Tuesday that Louisiana State University is not required to reinstate law professor Ken Levy following his suspension over political comments made in class. The appellate court granted part of LSU's request to overturn a Jan. 30 temporary restraining order issued by a district judge, which had ordered Levy's reinstatement. The ruling states that the district court's order was improperly issued without a full evidentiary hearing. 'A temporary restraining order, when in mandatory form and commands the doing of something, may not issue without a full evidentiary hearing and should not issue on an ex parte application,' the court wrote in its decision. While the appellate court vacated the portion of the order requiring Levy's immediate reinstatement, it denied LSU's request to dismiss the broader case. A hearing is still scheduled for Feb. 10, where further arguments will be presented. Levy was removed from the classroom on Jan. 16 following student complaints about political remarks made during a discussion on First Amendment issues. He later sued LSU, arguing that his suspension violated his constitutional rights, including free speech, academic freedom, and due process. The case remains ongoing as the legal battle over Levy's suspension continues. Louisiana AG calls for LSU law professor to be disciplined after Trump election comments Bipartisan bill would cap credit card interest rates at 10% White House begins migrant flights to Guantanamo Bay President Donald Trump to attend Super Bowl LIX Michael Jordan's son, Marcus, arrested after allegedly fleeing Florida police: reports Live: Pros breakdown Super Bowl defense, matchups and 'Inner Excellence' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
