UPDATE: Local businessman, Leonard Franques, pled guilty Friday in a federal courtroom. This is in connection to a bribery scheme where Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries contracts were directed to his company, DGL1.
Franques pleaded guilty as part of a plea agreement to one felony count of conspiracy to defraud the United States. In court, Franques told U.S. District Judge David Joseph, "I take full responsibility for the mistakes I made. I wish I'd never met and gotten into business with Dusty Guidry."
His sentencing hearing is scheduled for April 12.
Dec 13, 2023- A Lafayette man has been accused of conspiracy in an ongoing federal probe of bribery in the Lafayette DA's office and the state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.
He's the third person charged in federal court in the investigation.
Earlier this year, Dusty Guidry pleaded guilty to conspiracy and bribery charges; his sentencing is set for early next year. Last month, the feds filed a Bill of Information charging the owner of one of the companies allegedly involved in the scheme, C&A Consulting. Joseph Prejean is accused in the document of conspiracy to defraud the United States; his next court hearing is set for Friday.
This third document, filed Wednesday, accuses Leonard Franques of bribing Guidry, a "public official" not identified in court documents and others to make sure his businesses had good contracts with LDWF.
Guidry and the public official helped Franques' businesses get contracts to provide hunter and boater education classes and to provide classes that were required to resolve violations issued by the department, the document alleges.
On a day in November 2021, the bill alleges, Franques met with the public official at that person's home to talk about how they would conceal and disguise the bribes. The plan they came up with was to hold off on the kickbacks until that person left LDWF; one of the bribes was to be an all-terrain vehicle for the person, the bill alleges.
