Ex-Sheriff Strain Admits to Work Release Program Bribery

NEW ORLEANS – Former St. Tammany Parish Sheriff RODNEY J. STRAIN (a/k/a Jack Strain), 56, of Abita Springs, Louisiana, admitted today to a long-running bribery scheme involving the privatization of a work release program in Slidell, Louisiana. STRAIN pleaded guilty before United States District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo to Count 15 of an August 2019 indictment, specifically charging him with soliciting and receiving bribes, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 666(a)(1)(B).

The scheme, meticulously detailed in court documents, reveals that STRAIN, Sheriff from approximately 1996 to 2016, wielded unilateral control over whether Parish-run work release programs would be managed by the Sheriff’s Office or private entities. In early 2013, he decided to privatize the Slidell program, initiating a backroom deal with two of his Captains: David Hanson and Clifford “Skip” Keen. The initial plan involved Hanson and Keen jointly owning the program, but legal constraints quickly complicated matters.

Sheriff’s Office advisors informed STRAIN that state law prohibited Hanson and Keen from directly owning and operating the work release program while still employed by the STPSO. To circumvent this, they concocted a scheme to install Keen’s adult son (J.K.) and Hanson’s adult daughter (B.H.) as the nominal owners, with the understanding that the bulk of the profits would be funneled back to Hanson and Keen. This wasn’t a charitable arrangement; STRAIN had previously demanded kickbacks from Keen based on earnings from a prior job, establishing a pattern of corrupt expectation.

The trio then needed an operator for the facility, as J.K. and B.H. lacked the necessary expertise and capital. They strong-armed “Person 2” into a lopsided agreement: J.K. and B.H. would each own 45% of St. Tammany Workforce Solutions, LLC, receiving 45% of the profits, while Person 2 would be relegated to a mere 10% ownership and profit share, and shoulder the financial burden of launching the program. On May 1, 2013, St. Tammany Workforce Solutions, LLC was officially formed under these exploitative terms.

STRAIN solidified the arrangement on June 4, 2013, by signing a cooperative endeavor agreement—the “privatization agreement”—between the STPSO and St. Tammany Workforce Solutions, LLC. This agreement effectively handed control of the work release program to the shell corporation, ensuring a steady stream of illicit funds to STRAIN, Hanson, and Keen. The details of the payoffs to STRAIN and his family members are still unfolding, but the evidence clearly points to a systematic abuse of power for personal enrichment.

This case underscores the vulnerability of public services to corruption when those in positions of authority prioritize personal gain over the public trust. Further details regarding sentencing and potential cooperation agreements were not immediately available. The Grimy Times will continue to follow this case as it develops, exposing the rot that festers beneath the surface of Louisiana’s law enforcement.