Chad A. Scott, Perjury, Louisiana 2019

DEA Agent Convicted of Perjury in Louisiana

A U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) special agent has been convicted of perjury, obstruction of justice, and falsification of government records. Chad A. Scott, 51, of Covington, Louisiana, was found guilty of two counts of perjury, three counts of obstruction of justice, and two counts of falsifying government records.

The conviction comes after a seven-day trial in New Orleans, Louisiana, where the jury delivered the verdict on August 27, 2019. U.S. District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo of the Eastern District of Louisiana has scheduled sentencing for December 4, 2019.

The evidence presented during the trial showed that Scott committed these crimes in and around the New Orleans, Louisiana, and Houston, Texas, areas. Specifically, the evidence showed that Scott directed a Houston-based drug trafficker to buy a Ford F-150 truck worth approximately $43,000 and forfeit the truck to Scott as part of the drug trafficker’s cooperation.

Scott then falsified the seizure paperwork for the truck in various aspects, including falsely claiming that he had seized the truck in New Orleans instead of Houston, in order to facilitate the vehicle being forfeited and given to Scott as his official government vehicle.

The conviction sends a clear message to the public that malfeasance by federal law enforcement officers will not be tolerated, according to Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.

Scott has been indefinitely suspended as a DEA special agent. Two other former Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana Sheriff’s Office deputies who were serving as DEA task force officers in New Orleans have pleaded guilty in this investigation. Karl Emmett Newman, 52, of Kentwood, Louisiana, pleaded guilty to unlawfully carrying a firearm in furtherance of an August 2015 robbery.

Scott has been indefinitely suspended as a DEA special agent. His sentencing is scheduled for December 4, 2019. The case serves as a reminder that no one is above the law and that corrupt law enforcement agents will be held accountable for their actions.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-edla/pr/drug-enforcement-administration-special-agent-convicted-perjury-obstruction-justice-and