LouisianaVoice’s October fundraiser is over, but we continue to offer a signed copy of my latest book Louisiana’s Rogue Sheriffs: A Culture of Corruption to anyone who contributes $100 or more.
This 355-page book paints a comprehensive picture of how sheriffs, the most powerful person in any parish, can—and do—abuse the powers vested in them. Instead of adhering to their oath of office in which they pledge to carry out the duties of their office in accordance with the laws of Louisiana and the Louisiana State Constitution, many sheriffs put profits over the public, giving priorities to filling jails with state prisoners—for pay—and in some cases, becoming involved in drugs, theft, prostitution, and gambling.
It begins with the 1951 New Orleans congressional hearings on organized crime by U.S. Sen. Estes Kefauver of Tennessee. That hearing revealed the active involvement in gambling, prostitution, and smuggling by the sheriffs of four Louisiana parishes.
It also includes accounts of:
- A sheriff indicted by a federal grand jury for physical and mental abuse of prisoners, only to be acquitted, though several of his deputies were convicted and sentenced to prison;
- A sitting sheriff sentenced to federal prison following his conviction of drug trafficking;
- A former sheriff said to have been a bag man for Carlos Marcello;
- A defeated sheriff who planted a bomb that blew off the foot of his successor;
- A sheriff who conspired with the local district attorney to wrongly convict a national rodeo star of murder;
- A sheriff whose office was leasing a marina for $1700 per month who, when the BP spill occurred, sub-let the marina to BP for staging its recovery efforts for a mind-boggling $1.7 million per month—paid to his department.
Those are only a few of the stories contained in this book. Traditionally, Louisiana citizens pay far too little attention to the actions of their sheriffs because, truth be told, they answer to no one—not Congress, not the president, not the governor, not to the legislature.
Former Jefferson Parish Sheriff Harry Lee, once rumored to be considering a run for governor, responded, “Why would I want to be governor when I can be king?” No truer words were ever spoken in describing the powers entrusted to Louisiana sheriffs.
You can order the book by clicking on the oval yellow BUTTON in the column to the upper right of this post.
The button looks like this: 
But don’t click on this image; it won’t work. Click on the button to the upper right.
If you can’t spring for a $100 contribution, you may still purchase a copy of the book for $30 (Amazon’s price is $35).
Be sure to provide your mailing address so I can get your book shipped out immediately.
Louisiana Voice 
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