Yet another ugly controversy involving a member of the Louisiana State Police Commission (LSPC), has surfaced this one involving claims by an Opelousas organization that one of LSPC’s newest members, Harold Pierite, Sr., attempted to shake down the group for thousands of dollars during its annual event held on land owned by the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe in Marksville.
Organizers told LouisianaVoice that Pierite threatened to shut down the Step-N-Strut trail ride on its final day—the most important day of the event—unless they paid him $10,000 in cash. They said they ultimately paid him “about $4,000,” but many attendees pulled out early in the belief that the last day was being shut down.
The reports set off a belated denial by the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe and counter-denials by organizers of the event.
Pierite, the Tunica-Biloxi Police Chief, was appointed by Gov. John Bel Edwards last March to the Louisiana State Police COMMISSION, which was created in 1991 to provide an independent civil service system for Louisiana State Troopers, said the demand for more money or his threat to close the event down “never happened.”
Pierite has served as a member of the Tunica-Biloxi Tribal Council for more than 15 years and as Chief of the Tunica-Biloxi Police Department for more than 20 years. He is a 1992 graduate of the Acadiana Law Enforcement Training Academy.
The Step-N-Strut Trail Ride is held the first week of each November and horse owners from all over the U.S. participate, according to Dave and Torry Lemelle, organizers of the annual three-day event.
The Lemelles have sponsored the event for the past 19 years, moving it from location to location in the state over the years. “We hold our trail ride the first week in November and participants come in from North and South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Texas, and all over,” Torry Lemelle told LouisianaVoice.
She said trail rides are hosted by different clubs virtually every weekend. “They come to ours and we go to theirs,” she said. Participants pay a fee for attending the trail rides. (Click HERE to see a video of the grand entrance for this year’s event.)
Dave Lemelle said this year’s event was attended by about 3,000 persons and “between 400 and 500 horses.” Torry Lemelle said the trail ride is “like a music festival, only with horses.” She said bands play and participants hold cookouts and camp out on the grounds.
“This year, we held the trail ride on property the Tunica-Biloxi Trust in Marksville,” Dave Lemelle said.
The Lemelles provided copies of correspondence from Pierite in which he agreed to provide security at a flat fee of $30 per reservation officer and $40 per hour per State Trooper. He later tried to inflate the cost by claiming that more officers would be required, including State Police for traffic control on the highway leading to the reservation.
“They (Pierite and his chief deputy, Chico Mose) wanted us to pay for 24-hour security. This was not necessary,” Torry Lemelle said. “Chief Pierite was also going to give me one invoice to pay so that he could pay the officers. In informed him that each officer would be getting paid at the end of each night, according to the hours that we verified. Each officer also had to fill out a W-9 form.”
She said Pierite initially indicated on Oct. 6 that the cost to the organization would be $112,000. “We told Chief Pierite that the event could not afford the security that he wanted to provide (and) if we could not come to an agreement, we would have to cancel the event.
“He told us that he was sure that we would be able to come to an agreement and that he would revise the assignment. On Oct. 19, I received the revised detail assignment totaling $59,150. This revised assignment still had security for 24 hours.
“We spoke to the Louisiana State Police and they informed us that they do not require us to have State Troopers on the highway.”
She said on Oct. 20, the organization presented Pierite with a detailed assignment based on the past five years of security costs to Step-N-Strut’s annual trail ride at other location. She said security for past events totaled about $35,000.
“On Oct. 23, we received a denial letter for our detail assignments,” she said.
Pierite’s letter was addressed to Paul Scott. “Paul is a good friend of ours who has been organizing festivals for about 30 years,” Mrs. Lemelle said. “He also sits on the board of the Festival International De Louisiane. He has been helping us organize this event for the past six years. He is the one who actually met with Harold” on several occasions and was the one who paid Pierite for the security detail.
Dave Lemelle said that Keenan Malveaux, Pierite’s nephew, approached him prior to the event and demanded an additional payment of $35,000 in cash “to make it happen.” “He specifically said he wanted the payment in ‘untraceable’ cash,” Lemelle said.
“I asked what the additional money was for and he said, ‘To take care of some people.’ When I pressed him on who those ‘people’ were, he said it was for members of the Tribal Council.”
Following negotiations, Pierite’s denial, and the Tribal Council’s overturn of that denial, the trail ride finally got underway until the morning of Sunday, Nov. 5, when Pierite appeared to say he was shutting the event down, Lemelle said.
Pierite then left and was gone for five hours, he said. In the meantime, the Lemelles set about contacting Tribal Council members to have Pierite’s actions overturned again. “In the meantime,” Lemelle said, “news of the threatened cancellation spread like wildfire and people started packing up and leaving. There were some who heard about it on the way in and just turned around and left before they even got to the event.”
When Pierite returned five hours later, he demanded a payment of $10,000. “He said State Police and the FBI wanted the trail ride shut down.
Lemelle said Pierite was eventually paid “about $4,000.” But the damage was done.
Torry Lemelle said, “Chief Pierite extorted money from us throughout the whole process, using his authority, threatening to cancel this event if we did not pay him. When he realized that he was not getting any more money, he cancelled our event on Sunday morning, causing us to lose not only money but a large amount of our supporters. (He) used his authority to intimidate people and extort money.”
Pierite, contacted by LouisianaVoice on Monday, denied that he demanded money from the Lemelles, saying it “never happened.” He also denied that he threatened to shut down the event on its last day. Asked if he spoke to Dave Lemelle, he said, “Yes, I spoke with him, but not about that.”
Mose, also contacted by LouisianaVoice, appeared surprised by the claim that there was a threat to shut the event down, but he did not deny the allegation. He said he would check out the story and get back. He never did, however, although we did receive an official statement from a Tribal Council member through the offices of the Enrhardt Group, a New Orleans corporate communications and marketing firm.
Marshall Ray Sampson, Sr., vice chairman of the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana, issued a statement through Enrhardt several hours after LouisianaVoice‘s inquiries about the dispute over the money:
“The Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana was thrilled to be a part of the Step-N-Strut event this year and hope that all who attended had a wonderful experience. The annual event, which draws thousands of participants and their horses to the area, was unfortunately disrupted and subsequently delayed due to the actions of one participant.
“Late Saturday evening the Tribal Police department received reports that an event participant had shot a gun into the air. Thankfully, despite the crowds in the area, no one was hurt. Due to the quick response of the Tunica-Biloxi Police and security teams the area was quickly locked down. After assessing the situation for safety concerns it was determined that the event could not proceed without further security in place. Following the incident Tunica-Biloxi Police were forced to shut down the event late Saturday evening. Tribal leaders participated in consultations between the mayor and event organizers. After considering several options, it was determined the event could continue on Sunday morning, though slightly delayed.
Sampson’s claims that additional security was justified (thereby accounting for more costs) and that the event “was forced to shut down” were at odds with Pierite’s denial that more money was sought from the trail ride or that he had moved to have it shut down, leading to the conclusion that Sampson and Pierite failed to get together after our initial call to coordinate their stories.
“Events like the Step-N-Strut are widely loved and it is unfortunate that the actions of one participant resulted in a disruption. The Tunica-Biloxi Tribe is working with the mayor’s office and event organizers to ensure that measures are in place moving forward to provide the full scope of security needed so the Step-N-Strut can continue on for years to come. We thank the security teams and Tribal Police for their quick response and are grateful no one was hurt and that the event, though slightly delayed on Sunday, was able to continue on to completion.”
Mrs. Lemelle was incensed at what she termed a self-serving statement from Sampson, calling it “a complete lie,” saying Sampson didn’t even know the Sunday schedule was shut down “until we contacted him.”
She said, “First of all, we were told it was a member of the Tunica-Biloxi police department who fired the gun, not one of our participants. Second, if it was shut down, why did the Tunica-Biloxi deputies arrive for security on Sunday morning? They all came on duty as if nothing was wrong because there was no shutdown until Pierite came on the scene and told us he was closing it down unless he got another $10,000. The mayor never even knew about the shutdown,” she said.
There were also unconfirmed reports that the Tribal Council is conducting an investigation of Pierite.
Because whatever did happen occurred on tribal property, state authorities would have no power to investigate or arrest anyone. Any criminal investigation and/or prosecution would have to be conducted by the Tribal Council, the FBI, or the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
The only remedy within the state’s purview would be for Gov. Edwards to remove Pierite from the State Police Commission.
The saying “drain the swamp” is getting kind of old. How about John Bel goes to dredge the bayou and fire this scumball. No wonder there is no faith in government.
If the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe does not get rid of Harold Pierite, Sr. and Keenan Malveaux (and possibly the entire current tribal council), they have no one but themselves to blame for their continued oversight by the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
But keep the faith! Surely Lt. Governor Nungesser, Head of Tourism for the State, will read this article and IMMEDIATELY take action to rid the State of this and all manner of “shakedown” activities throughout the state.
I’m holding my breath. I mean, I’m holding my nose. What a stinking mess we have at all levels of Officialdom in Louisiana.
Because this occurred on an Indian reservation, the state has absolutely zero authority. Reservations are autonomous.
And, there’s the rub. One thing the Step-N-Strut people are not likely to do in the future is hold their events on Native American reservations.
Yes, and I occasionally enjoyed visiting an Indian-tribe casino and had visited one in particular on numerous occasions to play bingo. About 80 days ago, I drove the usual 2 ½ hours (ONE WAY) to the establishment to play bingo on a Thursday night as my birthday present to me. There were only about 28-30 players playing (meaning your odds are pretty good), which is why I went on a Thursday (one worker there told me Thursday is their slowest night). I bought a computer for me and one for my mom, and I paid $284 for the two machines.
Next, the manager of the casino’s “rewards program” struts in and buys her computer. I already knew who she was from a visit over a year before. She even said at that visit a year ago, “No way would I be caught dead playing bingo in here on a weekend because there’s too many players. They just have bingo during the week to keep these ladies (bingo workers) employed.”
Well, she manages to win not one, not two, but three games!! Further, each game she won, either me, my mom, or both were waiting (means you just need one number to win). Naturally, when she won, we’re out. What bothered me more was the texting she was doing, with the timing being just before and/or just after she won.
Perhaps she was texting her husband or a close relative sharing her joy in being so lucky. Nevertheless, all it would take (and I’m NOT making this allegation) is for a computer simulator to be “playing” thousands and thousands of cards in a back room and, when one wins, all that would need to be communicated is the verification code (easy to do by text!!!). When the verification code is called out, it shows the card on a big TV screen with the bingo; however, only a worker is actually observing the machine. It would be just as easy to look at an iPHONE to which the verification code had just been texted and call that number out.
Anyway, the caller normally had a rhythm of spacing the numbers about 12 seconds or so apart. I noticed numerous times during that evening, however, wherein there was an extended and totally inexplicable interruption in that rhythm, resulting in it taking 35-40 seconds for the next number to be called. Could it be the sheer time it was taking for thousands and thousands of cards to be “played” in a backroom? Then, when a card has a wait and that number appears on the monitor, it then be texted, “Yell bingo on the next number!” Then bingo is yelled, the worker calls comes over and calls out the verification code, the TV monitor then shows a valid bingo (that exists only in a backroom computer), and it all looks above board.
Now, I am NOT alleging that transpired, but I just reiterate my observing of the strange circumstances. In general, however, I think it is a bad idea to have a high-level casino manager (or any casino employee for that matter) playing bingo in the first place. I emailed my concerns to the establishment and that, because of my experience and concerns surround that experience, I’d played my last game there (it was about the 20th time I’d played there during the preceding 18 months since I first set foot in their doors). Their response: “As long as the worker is paying for the cards, we have no objection to them playing.” I replied back, “It’s your casino, and you have every right to manage it as you see fit. Likewise, I have every right to refrain from ever playing there again, which is exactly what I intend to do.”
I have a good friend who, upon hearing the incident from me said, “Let’s see. A shady industry regulated by a law enforcement agency now known to be corrupt at all levels. What could possibly go wrong?”
Seeing this post reinforces in the strongest manner that I made the right decision. Great work, Tom!!
I am a Tunica-Biloxi tribal member and there is tons of problem that the people outside the tribe have no clue. Trust me, we have our own members fighting and wanting to remove certain people in these positions.
You really should check out how much this guys makes as Chief of Police. And for doing nothing but intimidating people, including tribal members.
IMHO, this is the best post you’ve ever done, Tom! Yes, Edmonson was big (and a higher-profile subject), but the on-the-record quotes you have in this article are nothing short of phenomenal! I’m also glad to see the number of Facebook shares already above 200. I’m hoping it will hit 1,000 by the end of the weekend. Again, GREAT job!!
You should have mention Harold Pierite also sued his own Tribe and won his case for tons of money.
“I asked what the additional money was for and he said, ‘To take care of some people.’ When I pressed him on who those ‘people’ were, he said it was for members of the Tribal Council.”
Gee, sure sounds VERY, VERY familar:
http://www.laboards-commissions.com/Bankston_Tap3.pdf
Wow Robert that is some heavy stuff. This really can’t be going on in Corruptville, Louisiana now can it?
Maybe Governor Edwards needs to look a little deeper before he makes his choices from now on or maybe he made the choices because he knew it would be all taken care of like they wanted it done. Burger King Style seems to run rampart in Louisiana lately doesn’t it?
It is really sad to have such turmoil at such a really nice event. I never attended one of these events but it looks like a lot of fun. I love horses and would love to see one of these events one day.
Why is it that a certain hand full of special picked people always have to ruin things for the whole. In the end,it is always about the Benjamin’s ,always!
Yes, it was heavy stuff all right, and that is just one of the FBI wire taps on Bankston. If you’d like to see three more, visit this post: http://www.soundoffla.com/?p=652. I put one of the more sensational quotes as the headline!!
Well here we go again, another scandal with ties to State Police and the State Police Commission!
Here is a simple question: How many other State Agencies have their own civil service regulatory body that controls, hiring, promotions, pay scales, and disciplinary appeals for their agency alone. Well folks that’s what makes State Police so special.They even have their own retirement system separate from all other State Agencies.
In light of all the recent corruption involving State Police, the people should demand more oversight of the State Police. It is obvious this agency is out of control.
This oversight could begin with the following proposed changes: The reform needs to start with eliminating the State Police Commission and placing them back under State Civil Service. Their retirement program should not be separate from all other State Law Enforcement Agencies and become part of LASERS, (Louisiana State Employees Retirement System) like every other State Agency! Another flaw is the selection of Colonel and Deputy Secretary of Corrections and Public Safety Services comes from within their ranks. This position, as Colonel, also controls key agencies such as Office of Motor Vehicles, State Fire Marshal, Highway Traffic Safety Commission and others.
It is said, their elaborate pay raise two years ago was funded with Office of Motor Vehicle funds which resulted in 35% pay increases for Troopers. No other State Agency has this much control from within without answering to someone. Time for some brave legislators to propose legislation to make State Police accountable!
In addition to the other points you have made, looking a little deeper at the State Police Retirement System shows it to be the most expensive of our systems.
A lot of people are shocked to learn that LASERS members contribute an average of 7.8% of their pay to the system while the state contributes a whopping 26% based on the most recent Legislative Auditor report I could find. The unfunded accrued liabilities are the reason the state kicks in such a high percent.
State Police Retirement system members contribute 8.5% (they can retire earlier than LASERS members) while the state contributes 56%. So, for every dollar a state trooper makes, the state contributes 56 cents to the State Police Retirement System.
The cost the state has to pay for normal (costs without unfunded liabilities payments) of LASERS is slightly less than 7% of pay, so 19% of the state’s contribution to that system is for UAL.
The rate the state has to pay for normal costs of the State Police Retirement System is 17% (more than twice LASERS), so its UAL cost is 39% (again more than twice the cost of LASERS).
The unfunded liabilities of the State Police Retirement System have always been high and one kicker to this is that it was so high at one time that the state paid off its share of the UAL amortized from 1989 in a lump sum so it could start over with a clean slate. The state is still paying this 1989 UAL as part of its contribution to all other retirement systems.
If you’ve read this far, thanks, but my first sentence says it all.
SOMEBODY WITH MORE RECENT INFO PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CORRECT/UPDATE MY FIGURES.
I don’t have more recent figures, but I do know one thing. Every year Charles Hall keeps indicating the UAL will look so much better in future years but, in reality, it somehow manages to get worse and worse. When I placed him on the spot for the cost of the massive pay raises, he finally gave it. The video I’m about to link is from two years ago, and I started to attend the meeting at which they gave the overview of the financial condition of the system as of FYE 6/30/17, but I didn’t go. I’ll make a public records request to view that statement and see what the current number, but here it what he said (in a long-winded manner) the payraise cost in terms of one-time hit to the UAL ($45 million):
The last time I did an estimate of how much the UAL costs, in state dollars (total payroll minus federal funds), per year I came up with $600 million. I have tried to find the actual number, but have been unable to. One would think such a large chunk of annual state spending would be isolated and reported somewhere. If anybody reading this knows where our annual payments for UAL are clearly isolated, please let me know.
Retirement systems UAL is one of the things I detailed in a LouisianaVoice column about dedications and hidden mandates that limit the ability to understand the effects of cuts and what is really discretionary in the state’s budget – the UAL isn’t.
Thanks for this shocking info Tarnished. Boy oh boy are they getting some rewards at the end of their day.
I agree with you that the State Police Commission should be abolished. Everyone should be treated the same.
I love State Police and hate to see so much turmoil going on. It is heart breaking to see a few taking advantage of all the rest.
I will always rally behind our dedicated State Troopers because they are the ones on the roads day and night and they answer the call with pride and honor. I will always be grateful to the men and women in blue who wear their hats straight, their uniform crisp and their shoes shined.
To the crooked Troopers who are robbing the public blind may you be arrested soon and serve your time to pay back what you stole. Liar, Liars, Pants on Fire.