Troy Hebert is nothing if not:
- inconsistent
- obfuscating
- controversial
- all the above
Hebert, Bobby Jindal’s brilliant (sarcasm, folks, sarcasm!) choice to succeed former Director of the Louisiana Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control (ATC) Murphy Painter after Team Jindal set Painter up on bogus criminal charges, has stumbled into one administrative fiasco after another.
In fact, the manner in which Hebert has run his office might even be considered a microcosm of the Jindal administration, so frighteningly reminiscent is it to the way he seems to emulate his boss.
Just as Jindal attempted (unsuccessfully) to flex his muscles (figuratively, of course; it be absurd to suggest otherwise) after Painter refused to knuckle under to demands from former Chief of Staff Steve Waguespack that a permit be issued to Budweiser to erect a tent at major Jindal campaign donor Tom Benson’s Champion’s even though Budweiser had not met the legal permit requirements, so has Hebert attempted to destroy the careers of agents serving under him for reasons that consistently failed to rise above the level of political pettiness.
Jindal, who accused Painter of abusing his office, apparently overlooked the fact that Hebert, while serving in the Louisiana Legislature, nevertheless saw nothing wrong with working under a state contract for debris cleanup after Hurricane Katrina.
Not only was Painter acquitted in his federal criminal trial, but he then sued his accuser in civil court—and won.
Likewise, Hebert has been sued by former agents for racial discrimination and has been forced to settle at least one such claim. Other complaints are pending as this is being written. Part of the basis for those complaints was Hebert’s confiding in Tingle that he was “going to f**k with” two black agents and that he intended to break up the “black trio” in north Louisiana—in reference to agents Charles Gilmore, Daimian McDowell and Bennie Walters.
And in the case of Brette Tingle, Hebert went to the extreme of attempting to get three different agencies to say there was a criminal payroll fraud case against Tingle—and in each case he failed to get his needed approval. Tingle’s sin? He was listed as a witness for the three black agents who have lodged EEOC complaints against Hebert. That left Hebert with only one logical course of action (logical in Hebert’s mind, that is). He fired Tingle while Tingle was recuperating from a heart attack.
ATC employees Terri Cook and Sean Magee tracked GPS locations of agents and emailed agents and their supervisors on a daily basis so that any issues, discrepancies or inconsistencies raised by the GPS reports could be addressed in a timely manner.
Yet, despite Hebert’s claims that Tingle was not working when he said he was or that he made an unauthorized trip into Mississippi, the issues were never raised by Cook or Magee, according to Tingle’s attorney J. Arthur Smith.
In fact, Smith pointed out that Tingle traveled to Kiln, MS. On May 2, 2012—at Hebert’s express approval—“to obtain surplus gun cleaning kits from his (Tingle’s) Coast Guard unit which were then issued to agents in your (Hebert’s) presence at a meeting at the Baton Rouge ATC headquarters with all enforcement agents as well as business division employees present.”
Smith also said that Tingle “was assigned FDA compliance checks (for tobacco sales to minors) while out on sick leave.” Upon his return to work, Mr. Tingle informed (Hebert) that he could not complete the assigned compliance checks because of other collateral duties which Hebert had assigned him. “These collateral duties included meeting with Trendsic Corp. and newly hired IT employee Keith McCoy to discuss several ideas that Mr. Tingle brought to you and that you wanted implemented before Mr. Tingle left on military leave.
“In this conversation,” Smith continued in his March 10 letter to Hebert, “you instructed Mr. Tingle to ‘get someone else to do those checks.’ Mr. Tingle also served a hearing officer and Internal Affairs Investigator for the ATC. These collateral duties, as well as your special assignments to him, were not part of Mr. Tingle’s regular job duties. You never at any time excused Mr. Tingle from performing these additional responsibilities,” he said.
Moreover, Smith noted, Tingle, Hebert initiated reprisals against Tingle because of statements provided by Tingle in a federal EEOC racial discrimination action filed against the ATC and Hebert even though Tingle “received the highest marks on his annual performance evaluation of all ATC enforcement agents. You signed this evaluation in July 2012,” Smith said.
That same month Hebert contacted Tingle, who was on vacation, by telephone in July of 2012, Smith said, to inquire into specifics concerning programs and initiatives that were part of an ATC pilot program for the New Orleans area initiated by Tingle. Upon learning of Tingle’s participation as a witness in the discrimination matter, however, Hebert claimed on Oct. 4, 2012, that Tingle had committed payroll fraud and further told OIG investigators that no such pilot program existed, according to Smith’s letter to Hebert.
The pilot program, Tingle said, involved programs not being done in other parts of the state. For example, a plan promoted by the AARP to improve blighted areas. ATC, he said, worked with AARP to provide alternative business plans to bar owners who have had their licenses suspended or revoked.
Hebert and New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu held a joint press conference in July of 2012 to announce the program that Tingle initiated. http://www.nola.gov/mayor/press-releases/2012/20120717-mayor-landrieu-and-atc-commissioner-troy/
It was during this press conference that Hebert called a vacationing Tingle for information on the pilot program.
Tingle said Hebert has never followed through on any of the facets of the program.
In mid-January of 2013, Hebert launched an investigation into Tingle’s wife, Traci Tingle, who had recently retired from ATC, claiming that she had falsified state documents and that she had released personnel records to someone outside ATC.
The nature of the personnel records Hebert accused Traci Tingle of releasing was not made clear because Hebert never explained what they were. The state documents referred to, however, were inventory reports in which Traci Tingle had affirmed that the ATC had office equipment in an office in Vidalia, across the Mississippi River from Natchez. Hebert claimed “there was no Vidalia office,” Smith said, but when an ATC employee contacted the Vidalia Police Department about the matter, the Vidalia Police Department confirmed there was an ATC office in that town and that the office still contained ATC equipment.
It was unclear why Hebert would assert that ATC had no office in Vidalia unless the claim was made as a means of attempting to incriminate Traci Tingle.
What is clear, however, that Hebert is molding the agency into his personal fiefdom. He claims he has never fired a black agent but the evidence says otherwise. He also doesn’t say much about intimidating blacks—or transferring one from Shreveport to New Orleans without so much as day’s notice—to the point that they leave of their own accord.
The thing to keep uppermost in mind is that he is Jindal’s hand-picket director, specifically plucked from the legislature to succeed the man whom Jindal railroaded out of office with bogus criminal charges that were subsequently laughed out of court—all because that man, Murphy Painter, insisted that applicants (even those connected to big campaign donors like Tom Benson) conform to the rules when submitting applications for permits.
LouisianaVoice saw a railroad job then and we called it just that—when no other members of the media would come to the defense of Painter. We’re again seeing a railroad job and again, we’re calling it just that.
Jindal, of course, does not preside over the ATC Office but his policies, like a certain substance, flow downhill.
And right now, they’re stinking up the ATC Office.
Louisiana Voice 
Does the corruption ever end? Is there on agency that isn’t influenced negatively in the whole State of Louisiana?
So Hebert is so clueless he doesn’t know which cities in La. have or had an ATC office or not?
Again Tom you report what the puppet media refuses to. Niether the Governor’s office nor the Department of Revenue has ever investigated complaints against Hebert. When Li’l Troy falsely accused Tingle of endangering the life of an African-American female agent to the Department of Revenue, Revenue jumped into action and hired an outside attorney to investigate and submitt a report. Well, as it turned out, Hebert was the one endangering the life that female Agents. When you attempt to obtain a copy of the report that shows Hebert LIED and in fact was the one guilty of such, you will be told by the Department of Revenue that the report is privileged information. I bet it wouldn’t be so “privileged” had Tingle been guilty of what Hebert charged!!
I would to see Li’l Troy Hebert’s GPS records when he was building his mansion on the lakes of LSU. If He does not fill it out like the rank and file do, not Li’l Troy! He simply puts 8 hours worked with no specified times. So if you saw him, say hauling lumber with a dual axel utility trailer owned by ATC to his lakeside mansion during business hours, he would simply claim that that wasn’t part of the eight hours he worked. How convenient.
Again, great reporting!
Tingle is an honest, hard-working man.. I’m blessed to call him a friend. This was a screw-job from the beginning.. This is obvious to anyone that has anything to do with that office. Hebert (it appears, allegedly, presumed innocent until proven guilty) has blatantly broken laws and used his position to ruin lives for person gain or mere gratification. Great article, Tom. I’d like to know more about his attorney, Mrs. Jessica Starnes. Does she actually tell Hebert that his actions are legally defendable or does she simply follow orders in hopes that they will never be held accountable? I have no idea how involved she is, but I’d hate to know I began my law career working for Lil Troy.. I’m no lawyer, but I would think an officer of the court would want to steer clear of Hebert and his schemes. It’s one thing to have a client who may or may not be a crook but what does the Bar association say about lawyers who help their clients commit crimes/ unethical acts?
Disclaimer: My statements about these issues, Hebert, and Starnes are just my opinion.. Regardless of what I do or don’t know, for safety’s sake, I say these things are only alleged, not necessarily fact.. *wink
Starnes is Bodi White’s niece.
Great article Mr. Aswell. I do not personally know Mr. Tingle, Mr. Murphy, or the other agents that were punished for doing their sworn duties. However, I am familiar with LBT (Little Boy Troy). LBT (as we used to call him) and I go back a couple of decades. LBT would often brag how good his life is since he’s married to a doctor. He would laugh and say, “Hell, I ain’t smart enough to make money on my own so I married someone who is!” All we could do was laugh and agree with him. You know, come to think of it, LBT hasn’t worked for anything in his life. Everything has been basically handed to him. His wife took care of him until Billionaire Jindal came in and ‘handed him’ a six figure salary. I remember when LBT was appointed to that office. Several of us were having a drink one night and he was the life of the party. He said he was going to “clean some plows” because he didn’t want most of the people working there. He bragged about him being the “New king and how he would demand the little people to respect him.” As I read the above article, I couldn’t help but shake my head in agreement because it certainly shows the true character of one spoiled child that was appointed to a position way over his head. To my knowledge, LBT has never attended a law enforcement school. It’s scary for a spoiled child like him to be issued a firearm by the state of La. He always said Billionaire Jindal would take care of him when he defeated Blanco. LBT is a prime example of it’s not what you know, it’s who you know in La politics! Enjoy your dictatorship LBT because it’s coming to an end when Billionaire Jindal goes out of office. Unfortunately, your wife will have to carry you and the family again.
Jindal is far from being a billionaire. In fact, we don’t believe he has even achieved millionaire status. That, however, does nothing to diminish your central message that Hebert is apparently dependent upon two people: his wife and Jindal—and he is, as you say, about to lose one of those.
Why Jindal allows people like Hebert, his Auctioneer Board and his Dental Board to add unneeded black marks on his administration (which certainly needs no help in looking pathetic, as Stephanie Grace so accurately said it) is beyond me.
Mr. Aswell,
I was referring to Jindal as being a billionaire based on him placing the state in a billion dollar deficit. I should have been more specific but we call him “Billionaire Jindal” due to him spending other people’s money without recourse.
The entire Painter/Tingle (and others)/Hebert scandal (because that’s what it is) is so disheartening to fathom that ANY state government can operate in such a reckless manner.
I attended the entirety of the Painter trial, and Tom is being very, very kind to relay it was merely laughed out of the courtroom. I was in utter stunned disbelief that the U. S. Attorney’s Office would submit itself to such an unbelievable public embarrassment as to have prosecuted that case! When I relay that the prosecution was LITERALLY trying to convince a jury that a man should be sent to Federal prison for sending sympathy cards to two colleagues upon the passing of their mother (and I’m NOT making that up — those were two of the 29 counts with many others equally absurd!!!), one can only question who was behind this vendetta (the obvious answer is Jindal) and why. It now seems apparent that there was more in play than merely cramming an illegal exclusivity agreement down the ATC’s throat. One can only openly question now if Painter wasn’t also a sacrificial lamb to force Hebert into the position to jack up his high-three salary for retirement purposes. Who could have imagined that he would wreak such other havoc during his tumultuous tenure.
After the second day of the Painter trial, I encountered Tom Boulton in the hallway of the Federal courtroom. He was seated waiting to go and confer with U. S. attorneys on how the prosecution was going. I gave him a heads up when I said to him, “There is not one word of what those prosecutors are uttering that is resonating with that jury!” He seemed stunned, and I told him, “Unless you guys have something huge that you’re holding back on, this case never even got off the ground and has done nothing but sink like the Titanic from the outset.”
At trial, on the day of Tingle’s testimony, he did not mince for words when Mike Fawer (Painter defense attorney) asked him, “What has morale been like at ATC since the departure of Mr. Painter?” Tingle responded that morale had “plummeted” under ATC’s current leadership. I talked with him at length after his testimony and asked if he feared retaliation for his candor on the witness stand, and he responded to me, “It doesn’t matter. Hebert and I have clashed since the day he arrived.” Tingle then went on to relay to me all of the maneuvers Hebert has deployed which have now resulted in racial discrimination lawsuits which are public record. Mr. Tingle sure looked like a very fit (much more so than me), trim, and in-shape man to me, so I have to wonder if his heart attack may not likely have been the result of job stress. I know even star athletes can have a heart attack, but he sure looked to be in great physical shape to me!
What is deeply troubling about all this “leadership” style is that nobody really appreciates what an ungodly sum the state pays in legal fees having to defend such garbage. I want to provide a couple of links to documents which may help in that regard. Here’s a link of a pdf file just showing the recent activity and filings in the Hebert racial discrimination lawsuit: http://www.laboards-commissions.com/Hebert_Lawsuit_Activity.pdf. Anyone can see from all the filings just how much legal fees are racking up. Next, here’s a detailed supplemental reply to state defense attorneys’ challenges to prescription, failure to state a cause of action, etc., filed by plaintiffs’ attorney, J. Arthur Smith: http://www.laboards-commissions.com/Hebert_sur_reply.pdf.
All of these massive legal bills could have been avoided if Jindal didn’t appoint such ego-maniacs who seemingly were absent when God distributed out common sense and a sense of mere fairness to ALL fellow citizens irrespective of race! What is becoming unbelievably disturbing is the sheer ambivalence of Bobby Jindal toward the actions of his appointees! It’s as if he thinks the entire 2016 presidential election will be comprised exclusively of back-woods, tobacco-spitting, illiterate, Caucasian voters come Election Day 2016!! That’s the only explanation I can think of!! It’s simply mind-boggling that a Rhodes Scholar can permit the RAMPANT racism among his appointees to transpire and yet think he will be taken seriously as a presidential contender. If he does enter the race (which will be the biggest mistake he’s ever made in his life), his own Republican challengers are going to grind him up like hamburger meat, and he won’t even be recognizable as a leader who accomplished ANYTHING positive while governor once they’re done with him!
Just to further show how rampant this racism is, many readers may recall a lawsuit filed by Vietnamese cosmetologists early last year alleging that the State Board of Cosmetology utilized Gestapo selective enforcement tactics to effectively drive them out of business. There again, the State of Louisiana spends hundreds of thousands of dollars racking up defense costs trying to challenge that lawsuit. On Friday (3/20), Federal Judge Brian Jackson issued a 23-page opinion replete with orders DENYING the state’s motions to dismiss those cases of racial discrimination: http://www.laboards-commissions.com/Cosmetology_Jackson_Rulings.pdf. Hence, now a 90-day scheduling order is to be prepared by the parties, http://www.laboards-commissions.com/Cosmetology_Scheduling_Order.pdf, for that matter to proceed on to trial. The defense costs for this type of litigation is becoming utterly staggering, yet the Gestapo enforcement tactics were deployed by bureaucrats making an average of around $28,000/year!!
I hope that perhaps some readers may better see now why I intend to press the candidates for governor STRONGLY on a willingness to closely analyze many of these boards and commissions for abolishment. They simply are NOT serving the citizens of this state to provide protection but instead are actually costing taxpayers literally millions of dollars in defense attorney costs. Boards like the cosmetology board, auctioneer licensing board, interior design board, and many others need to be abolished. Louisiana simply cannot afford these competition-inhibiting, Gestapo-like entities that are consuming an ungodly sum of our precious tax dollars for attorney defense costs because of egomaniacs like Hebert and others. It’s time for a governor (WHOMEVER he — or she if a female may enter the race — may be) who will recognize that fact and not do as Bobby Jindal has done and, not only bury his head in the sand, but actually make the problem worse by his appointments such as Hebert.
I wish Mr. Tingle all the best in any lawsuit he may file, and I can only express my complete disillusionment at our state’s leadership (if you can call it that) in perpetuating this kind of atrocity to transpire in the first place.
I wanted to comment on Brette Tingle and any involvement he may be accused of in wrong doing – IMPOSSIBLE! I have known Brette for 20+ years and all I have known him to be is a stand up, honest person, that loves his kids, his wife and used to be his job. Every time Brette would talk about his work with ATC he would light up and could talk forever about how he loves being a part of something good.
I have hours and days with him on camp-outs with young men that their own parents wouldn’t take time to do. I would testify to the way he would work with those boys and giving his time to help them feel like somebody and someone loved and cared about their futures. I have seen Brette work for ATC for 16-20 hours straight and come in at 7:00 am and load up and go camping and mountain biking with these boys for two days.
Commitment and honesty and integrity, Brette Tingle IS those things. He is the epitome of those traits. Character, without a doubt. Is he perfect? No. Is he honest? ABSOLUTLEY!
If he has been accused of wrongdoing in any capacity then I would not want to be the accuser. The reason is at the end of the day, the accuser will be embarrassed by his own ignorance.
The citizens of the State of Louisiana have lost a devoted law enforcement officer who has risked his life to take scum off of the streets to keep our families and children from drugs and alcohol. The opportunity to find a selfless leader like Brette Tingle doesn’t come along everyday.
Murphy Painter is also one of the finest people I have ever known and he ran the ATC from a citizens perspective, professionally and aboveboard. I had many conversations with Brette about Mr. Painter and sometimes they were like this: “Damn, Commissioner Painter was tough on us today, that we needed to do our jobs and make sure that the wrongdoers are dealt with by the book.” I knew that Brette may not have always been happy about a tough meeting but he respected Commissioner Painter because of his leadership.
In my opinion the state should apologize and beg Brette Tingle to come back.
In the Commissioner’s own words, he has attorneys working for him and not costing him anything.
I had a very interesting conversation with LBT a couple of days ago. He said he’s going to go back through some old 2010-2012 timesheets and claim employees owe money back to is office. He said they LDR will believe him before they believe average Joe citizens/employee. It’s ridiculious to screw your past workers over LBT. Karma is about the take a chunk out of your little booty. Karma brought teeth this time. Hang in there LBT, she is flying straight towards you with her mouth wide open, Pucker up little fella…this one is going to hurt badly!!!!
I have known Brette Tingle for many years and I can say without a doubt he is one of the most honest, honorable and caring men I have ever known. Unlike the despicable, lying and evil man who calls himself “Commissioner”. What a joke! All that narcissistic, demoniac, ego maniac has ever done was try to destroy anyone who did not bow down and kiss his feet. Someone once told me that the core to narcissism is inadequacy and this truly defines Troy Hebert. I would like to know the last time Troy Hebert ever did anything that was not self serving. Has he ever done anything for his state or for his country or for anyone other than himself? I don’t think so. He tries to make you think he is doing such a fine job by saving the state money by cutting his staff but all he is doing is getting rid of hard working people who don’t bow down to the “King” or rather standup at attention when he enters a room. True, if you think I’m kidding, ask anyone who worked for him! I can only think of a couple of people that are due this kind of respect and “King Hebert” is certainly not one of them. Has Hebert ever served his country in any way, I don’t think so. Has Brette Tingle served his country, absolutely. After the terrible destruction of 9/11, Mr. Tingle wanted to serve and protect his country, in doing so, he joined the service and did two tours of duty in the Middle East. Mr. Tingle served his country with honor and still continues to serve in the Reserves. Honor is a word that follows Brette Tingle. Mr. Tingle has always stood up for the rights of others and now by doing so, Hebert has retaliated. Yes, I said RETALIATED, and will stop at nothing to destroy anyone who stands in his way. Hebert has tried to get others to discredit Mr. Tingle but has failed, he has filed false allegations with two separate agencies and has failed. Mr. Tingle was cleared of ALL allegations filed by Hebert. Hebert has stated he would continue because he didn’t have to pay for an attorney. Of course he doesn’t, as taxpayers you and I are paying for it. (But he’s saving the state money, HA!) How many more EEOC complaints does it take, how many more lawsuits does it take before Hebert is stopped. Don’t you know Hebert that good will always over come evil, that’s right EVIL, because you are truly an evil person who gives new meaning to the word NARCISSISTIC. If you don’t know what it means, which you probably don’t, LOOK IT UP!
geez that Tingle guy sounds like a saint. someone out there is giving incorrect information because there’s been a rumor that he’s a lying arrogant thieving adulterer. rumor also is he’s been out on military duty and hasn’t worked at atc in over a year so if that is true it would be questionable that atc stress contributed to his heart attack. not sure what employees on 2010/2012 timesheets hebert plans to go after since most people that were there when hebert started are no longer employed with atc unless he’s going after the handful that supposedly still work there. think I need to find new people to talk to since they are clearly giving into the gossip out there. but then again, I need to stop listening to said gossip.
Sounds like you’re in the company that suits you!
I am a victim of Troy Hebert’s behavior too. http://www.therougehouse.com Our appeal date is July 31, 2015 in New Orleans Civil District Court. Join me as we witness La Justice in action. – MAJ Tracy Riley (US Army Reserve Retired and Owner of The Rouge House)
-The Rouge House (300 Decatur St – The French Quarter)
-target of over 20 compliance checks (surprise inspections)
-no wrong doing reported by ATC agents
-no citations
-denied ATC liquor permit
-appeal date July 31, 2015
MAJ Tracy Riley (US Army Reserve Retired & Owner of The Rouge House)
“A Soldier never quits.”
After getting the runaround from Tory Hebert’s staff, I sought assistance from Gov Jindal’s office. Shortly thereafter, Troy Hebert wrote my Army Commander to ask that I be punished for being “unprofessional” when checking on the status of my permit. They tried to have me brought up on UCMJ charges seemingly for checking up on the status of my permit.
Who does that?
MAJ Tracy Riley (US Army Reserve Retired)