LAKE CHARLES, La. — The Third Circuit Court of Appeal has acquitted former Iberia Parish Clerk of Court Michael Thibodeaux of his racketeering charge after being convicted by a jury trial in May 2019 and threw out three other charges for not having a unanimous jury verdict.
The court also sent his remaining 10 charges back to the 16th Judicial District in Iberia Parish to clarify the counts on which the order of restitution or a fine is ordered.
Thibodeaux was found guilty on all 14 charges against him on May 29, 2019 after a week long trial.
Thibodeaux’s charges include: one count of racketeering; two counts of theft of more than $25,000; one count of theft between $5,000 – $25,000; two counts of filing or maintaining false public records; seven counts of malfeasance in office and one count perjury.
The appeal court stated in a 36 page ruling that Thibodeaux's conviction and sentencing for the racketeering charge was reversed due to insufficient evidence to prove an essential element of the charge.
Thibodeaux's counts of theft, perjury and malfeasance in office were thrown out because of the last year's U.S. Supreme Court decision in the State of Louisiana vs. Ramos that ruled non-unanimous jury verdicts were unconstitutional.
You can read the appeal court's full decision here.
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