Louisiana Voice

If you know how to game the system, it can pay handsomely to be a former Louisiana legislator with friends in high and not-so-high places. Just ask former State Sen./Rep. Mike Walsworth, a West Monroe Republican.

Former senator and representative because, like several others who got used to a life of influence in Baton Rouge, he served in both chambers, moving from one when hitting the three-term limit to the other for another 12 years, thus rendering Louisiana’s term limits statute meaningless as a deterrent to legislators hanging around too long.

Walsworth was last elected to his third Senate term in 2015 and left office in January 2020. But he didn’t exactly go away. He signed a six-month, $30,000 contract to perform “consulting” services for Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser’s office.

No sooner did that contract expire than he signed a renewal – for a full year this time, from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024 – for $60,000, never missing his $5,000 per month payments for keeping a pulse on legislative issues in north Louisiana for Nungesser and making “oral” reports To the lieutenant governor. No information was available on whether or not he has had his contract renewed again.

Those oral reports apparently were channeled through a Sarasota, Florida, public relations firm called Miles Partnership, which also was used to route an additional $25,000 for each of three separate six-month contracts – from July 1, 2021 to De. 31, 2021, from Jan. 1, 2022, to June 30, 2022 and from July 1, 2022 to Dec. 31, 2022, to Walsworth.

All that is certainly interesting enough, but the real story here is found in a parcel of land designated as the site for Louisiana Delta Community College (DcC) in Farmerville, Walsworth’s connection to Mayor John T. Crow and a glaring failure to inform the Farmerville Town Council of that connection which would appear to create an obvious conflict of interests and a major ethics breach.

Farmerville attorney and real estate developer Johnny Dollar owns a company called Deloutre (for the non-initiated, that’s pronounced “d’Looter”, after an area bayou) Property Rentals. He previously donated land for the Union Parish Law Enforcement District (sheriff’s office), for a local church and developed land on which a Walmart store, a strip shopping center, two banks, two convenience stories and a Natural Resources Conservation Service office are located.

Dollar offered to donate a “shovel ready” site for DCC, utilities and access already in place. His offer was rejected in favor of a 100-acre tract of raw wooded land that has no public infrastructure at a cost of $1.2 million – on the advice of a consulting firm and….Mike Walsworth.

Walsworth was retained by the town as a “consultant” at a rate of $1,000 per month and to date has been paid more than $40,000. The extent of his “consulting,” however, is somewhat vague.

The problem with all that, besides the spurning of an offer of free land in favor of coughing up $1.2 million of state taxpayer money, is that his honor the mayor (John Crow) and Walsworth are business partners in a little outfit called C and W Louisiana Properties, LLC, according to records on file with the LOUISIANA SECRETARY OF STATE, which might be construed by the discriminating observer as something of a conflict of interest – and probably a violation of even Louisiana’s otherwise toothless ethics code for public and elected officials. Dollar said that a woman named Angie Robert was a former assistant to Walsworth and is a “current associate of both Walsworth and Crow, receiving mail for C and W Louisiana Properties at her place of work in the Monroe office of U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy.

The history of the tract selected has an interesting history in itself:

Feb. 13, 2015 – it was sold to William Caskey Terral for $306,978.

Nov. 11, 2022 – Terral sold one-half interest in the land to Mayor Towns and a man named Jared Ramsey for $1,356,450, quadrupling his initial investment while retaining half-interest in the tract.

Nov. 16, 2022 – Terral, Towns and Ramsey transferred what was now called the TTR tract to TTR, LLC, a limited liability corporation formed on Nov. 11, 2022. The division was designated as 50 percent to Terral and 25 percent each to Towns and Ramsey.

On Nov. 14, 2022 (two days before the aforementioned transfer took place) – Deloutre Property Rentals (DPR) protested a requirement that the DDC campus be locate within half-a-mile of LA. 15 (a state highway leading into and out of Farmerville). Dollar in filing his protest for DPR, said the requirement was a “transparent” attempt to control the site selection for the benefit of the TTR tract, partially owned by Mayor Crow. Dollar claimed the requirement raised the question of “improper collusive conduct in connection with public funding.” Walsworth, who you might remember was/is being paid $1,000 per month at the insistence of his business partner, the mayor, in a text exchange with Dollar, denied the existence of any such collusion.

January – March 2023 – DPR became aware that DCC had selected a consultant of its own, a company called CSRS, to advise it on site selection. CSRS is a Baton Rouge consulting firm and in September 2019, contributed $1,000 to Walworth’s political campaign even he was term-limited and slated to leave office in four months.

Jan. 27, 2023 – Mayor Crow sold his 25 percent interest in the 120-acre site (30 acres) to an outfit called TFR (Towns Family Rental) for $1.2 million, nearly doubling his investment.

Ignored by the Louisiana’s daily newspapers, it has played prominently on the front pages of the tiny Farmerville Gazette, which, on the surface would raise eyebrows; it’s rare that a local weekly would take on the local political power structure.

But The Gazette was purchased some time ago by the Ruston Daily Leader which in turn sold it to former NBA basketball star Karl Malone…and Johnny Dollar. Dollar subsequently purchased full control from Malone. And it’s Dollar who’s kicking up sand, probably from Folly Beach at nearby D’Arbonne Lake, over the shenanigans of Mayor Crow and Walsworth. If you own the paper, you can speak truth to power as much as you please. There was a time when that pretty much defined authentic journalism and bold publishers, but sadly, those days are pretty much gone. Maybe real reporting by The Gazette will arouse a sleeping daily in nearby Monroe – but it’s doubtful that a Gannett paper investigates anything other than its own bottom line and shareholder profits.

There will be more to this saga in the coming days, a story of a boat ramp and the town’s paying for the demolition of a deserted motel but for now, this is plenty to chew on. But if you insist on a more detailed narrative, read this installment from The Gazette:

and here:

Ruston political power broker James Davison, a wealthy supporter of politically conservative causes, has apparently brokered a deal with Donald Trump that would benefit one of his many companies, according to an investigative piece published by online news services ProPublica.

Davison, known for hosting political heavyweights like Anita Bryant and Colin Powell at his annual company Christmas parties, has apparently brokered a deal for Trump Media to purchase technology to stream television news shows and religious channels at risk of “cancellation” on Davison’s obscure JedTec according to an announcement by Trump Media.

“Obscure” would appear to be the accurate term as JedTec “has virtually no public footprint and no website, and it is unknown to streaming technology experts,” the ProPublica story says.

ProPublica noted that the acquisition would place Trump’s company in a “business relationship with someone with numerous interests before the federal government.”

Those interests, according to the article, would include a large oil pipeline and mining firm, Louisiana’s largest (but little-known) bank and a small defense contractor. ProPublica said the streaming deal “crystalizes the sort of conflicts that Trump’s business interests pose as he vies for a second term” in that the deal poses a “potential for undue influence,” according to a former government ethics attorney, by giving Davison “access to a future president and an advantage in extracting favors from Trump.”

To be fair, in addition to his political clout, – “He’s a powerhouse,” according to former Ruston Daily Leader publisher Rick Hohlt – Davison is well-known as a philanthropist for local institutions like Louisiana Tech University and a local church.

Davison has contributed about $3 million to federal Republican candidates and causes and more than $250,000 to state candidates since 2011. He has also benefitted from large tax breaks granted to his pipeline business by the Trump administration. The breaks are scheduled to expire next year but Trump has promised to extend the controversial tax law should he win in November.

The deal announced by Trump Media involves several entities, including another Davison company, WorldConnect and a British firm, Perception Croup, the latter which has offices and engineers in Slovenia. WorldConnect’s listed phone numbers are disconnected and the outfit’s latest press release was said to be eight years old. One such press release, from 2012, was in celebration of the launching on a streaming platform in the United Kingdom of China Central Television, the propaganda channel of the Chinese

WorldConnect listed only seven staff members on its website, which was taken down in its entirety only hours after ProPublica sent questions about the company to its executives.

A person familiar with the history of WorldConnect said that the company entered into a joint venture with Davison in 2017 to buy the rights to sell Perception Group’s TV technology in the United States. Davison put up most of the money for the deal, according to ProPublica.

Another Davison connection to Trump, one which existed before the streaming deal was announced, was in the person of Ruston attorney W. Kyle Green who sits on Trump Media’s board. Green also just happens to be Davison’s lawyer and is listed as the agent of record on business filings for JedTec with the Louisiana Secretary of State’s office.

Green’s Trump Media biography might raise a few eyebrows to the local folks up in Ruston. As the city’s one-time city prosecutor for eight years, he “successfully prosecuted more than 20,000 criminal defendants,” it said.

That would mean that virtually every person living in Ruston has a criminal record. The city’s entire population is about that number. ProPublica cited a “longtime district attorney in the area” as saying that number of prosecutions in a city that size would necessarily mean that the total cited included traffic tickets, low-hanging fruit for prosecutors and which certainly do not rise to the level of “criminal defendants.” Moreover, as city attorney, he would be pretty much restricted to misdemeanors and small claim civil matters.

The announced deal between Trump Media and JedTec calls for the payment of $17.5 million in cash and up to 5.1 million shares of stock in JedTec – about $150 million at current market value.

Not surprising and typical of Trump’s bluster, a Trump Media spokesperson puffed up his chest and threatened legal action against ProPublica in response to its article, sniffing in the usual legalese that “The assertions and insinuations in this story, including of any ethical improprieties whatsoever or any material omissions from [Trump Media] disclosures, are false, defamatory and a textbook example of a fake news story that will land the left-wing shills at ProPublica in court.”

(Oh, yawn).

(Clarification: The Department of Children and Family Services has issued a denial that any Louisiana children are housed in the two states cited below in yesterday’s post. “These are not residential contracts and do not involved the placement of housing of Louisiana children or youth,” the DCFS statement reads.

“Our contract with BCFS [a Texas non-profit] is for Human Trafficking Advocacy services. We contract with Youth Villages [a Tennessee non-profit entity] for implementation of the Lifeset model with our Extended Foster Care youth and staff, along with the implementation of the Intercept prevention model through the Family First Prevention Services Act.”

It should be noted that my original public records request said the following: “Pursuant to LA. R.S. 44.1 (et seq.), I hereby submit my formal request for: The opportunity to review copies of any and all current contracts between DCFS and any and all out-of-state providers of (a) treatment, (b) training, (c) housing, (d) rehabilitation, (e) counseling, or (f) residential facilities for Louisiana children.” DCFS responded by providing copies of contracts with vendors based on that request and on which I based the story below.

This, of course does not change the fact that the State of Louisiana is spending more than $6 million on contracts with two vendors that have a troubled history in their treatment of residents charged to their care.)

The Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) has multi-million-dollar contracts with two out-of-state providers of emergency shelter, foster care, adoption services and housing for problem and migrant children that have experienced scrutiny over the treatment of children in their care.

Youth Villages, Inc., of Memphis, Tennessee, was awarded a one-year, $2 million contract by DCFS on July 1, 2023, to provide housing for youths from the southeastern Louisiana parishes of East and West Baton Rouge, Livingston, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, St. Hela, Washington, Orleans, East and West Jefferson, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, Iberville, East and West Feliciana and Pointe Coupee.

BCFS (formerly Baptist Children and Family Services) was awarded a 18-month, $4.3 million contract on January 1, 2023.

Both the Youth Villages and BCFS contracts expired on June 30 and it was not immediately known if the contracts were renewed.

BCFS, which houses more than 900 kids in San Antonio, Harlingen, Baytown and Raymondville, by 2018 had been cited for 52 VIOLATIONS, including:

• “Inappropriate relationships” between employees and children in their care;
• Raw and undercooked food given to children;
• Staff member kept money sent by parents for a child;
• “Inappropriate magazine pages” depicting nude women given to children.

In Fiscal Years 2015-2018, there were 23 separate ALLEGATIONS of BCFS staff members sexually abusing migrant minors.

BCFS is an affiliated ministry partner with the Baptist Convention of Texas, the largest association of Baptist churches in America. Originally founded as an orphanage, it morphed into a “children’s home,” and eventually managed to tap into massive federal contracts, mainly for the housing of children of undocumented immigrants, which translated to generous pay packages of $500,000 for the BCFS president and salaries north of $200,000 for a half-dozen other staff members.

Those salaries were made possible by the awarding of $77 million in CONTRACTS to the non-profit by the Biden administration. Subsequent to the awarding of that contract, BCFS was cited for mishandling children at the border.

The political problems of BCFS are bipartisan, though; prior to Biden’s becoming president, Donald Trump was said to have PRESSURED administrators of the BCFS infamous tent city in Tornillo, Texas, to take in more migrant children than it could care for.

Like BCFS, the Youth Villages web page is peppered with wholesome photographs of happy children and their families. But the facility apparently has a darker side.

The mother of a 17-year-old girl who died at the facility last year says her daughter was “BODY SLAMMED” for failing to comply with an order to undress in front of male residential staff.

Youth Villages has denied that it did anything inappropriate to Alegend Jones.

The story about her death, however, prompted several negative comments about the home, including allegations by one person who claimed that there was sexual abuse, illegal restraints of kids and staff smoking with underage girls at the facility.

Two other comments resonated with similarity of allegations against other residential facilities for kids. Both writers indicated that Youth Villages, like other homes, works to keep kids for monetary reasons rather than treating and releasing them to their parents.

”…[T]hey ave done this over and over,” wrote one person. “They want kids in their care because the state pays big bucks. They want to provide the doctor as well to make sure you cannot remove a child. It’s scary as s*** and hard to get your child out of their grips.”

Homes and programs for troubled youth have come under increasing federal scrutiny, an effort spearheaded by socialite Paris Hilton who, as a teen, was sent to a home in Utah where she says she was beaten, raped and watched every minute – even when she showered or went to the bathroom.

There was no indication of how many Louisiana children are housed in the Tennessee and Texas facilities, though the total of more than $6 million in contracts would indicate that there are/were perhaps dozens.

I plan to promote one of my readers for the office of vice president. I came to this decision after he sent me an interesting message that revealed that he is far more astute, far more intelligent and possessive of far more plain old horse sense that that guy from Ohio/West Virginia.

The reader, a retired Navy veteran, noted that he watched on network news as J.D. Vance said, somewhere among his hillbilly rambling about childless cat women, that the federal income tax system needed to be change to tax childless couples at a higher rate than those with children.

“Really?” my friend wrote. “Seems that this is exactly the system that’s been in place for a long time! More kids equals more deductions [and more deductions] equal less tax. Singles bear a much higher tax on identical incomes.

“[The news clip] would have been more powerful if the newscaster had mentioned this stupid JDV oversight,” he wrote.

What a maroon!

Hmm. Don’t think there’s much to add to his observation except to wonder if it really was an oversight or an insight into his general ignorance.

The Republicans say crime is exploding and they’re attempting to capitalize on that claim in the 2024 election campaigns.

The Democrats are saying that crime is down and they’re pointing to that to promote their agenda in the 2024 elections.

Who is correct?

Well, it might be difficult to say because 31 percent of the 18,000 law enforcement agencies across the U.S. failed to report crime data to the FBI’s national database in 2022, the latest year for which figures are available.

That’s an improvement, however, over the nearly 40 percent who failed to submit data in 2021, according to the MARSHALL PROJECT, an online news services.

In Louisiana, cooperation of local law enforcement is hard to come by. Fully 42 percent of the state’s agencies failed to report any crime data in 2022 and only 37 percent reported a full year’s crime data.

The largest jurisdiction in the state and the one with one of the highest crime rates in the state, New Orleans, failed to submit any data at all in 2022, according to the report, which said that 394,000 people live under the New Orleans Police Department’s jurisdiction. That’s 8 percent of all the people living in Louisiana.

Of the state’s 238 law enforcement agencies, which includes sheriffs, municipal departments and Louisiana State Police, only 137 submitted reports to the database in 2022. That represented 3.4 million of the state’s 4.6 million people, leaving data on crime data for the remaining 26 percent unreported.

Overall, Louisiana had the 11^th lowest reporting rate in the nation. Florida was the worst, with only 8 percent of its agencies submitting data. Mississippi was 7^th lowest with 48 percent of agencies not reporting. Delaware and Oklahoma tied for first, each with 100 percent participation.