Gary Haynes, Conspiracy and Bribery, Louisiana 2024
LAFAYETTE, La.
A federal jury has found Gary Haynes, 67, of Lafayette, guilty of conspiracy to engage in bribery, bribery, use of a facility interstate commerce in aid of bribery, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and obstruction of justice after a nearly two-week long trial, announced Acting United States Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook.
The indictment charged Haynes with conspiracy to commit bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds, bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds, two counts of using his cell phone in aid of bribery, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and obstruction of justice.
Evidence presented at the trial revealed that Haynes conspired with Dusty Guidry and Leonard Franques to solicit bribes and kickbacks and to accept things of value while working as an Assistant District Attorney at the 15th Judicial District Attorney’s Office. Haynes oversaw the D.A.’s Office’s Pretrial Intervention (PTI) program which was a program set up to provide an alternative to criminal prosecution for certain criminal offenders. Haynes approved defendants to participate in the program and then directed them to take classes from Franques’s companies.
Those defendants paid money to take classes through Franques’s companies to complete the program and obtain dismissal of the criminal charges against them from Haynes. Haynes, Guidry, and Franques agreed that Haynes would receive kickbacks in exchange for accepting people into the PTI program, directing those people to Franques’s companies, and then dismissing the charges against the people who enrolled in and paid for the courses that Franques’s companies provided.
Haynes faces a sentence of 65 years in prison, five years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000, or both.
The case was investigated by the FBI and IRS - Criminal Investigation. The prosecution team included Assistant United States Attorneys John Luke Walker and John W. Nickel, and Steven Loew of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section.
Franques pleaded guilty on January 12, 2024, to one count of conspiracy to commit bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds. Guidry pleaded guilty on March 23, 2023, to two counts of conspiracy to commit bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds and one count of bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds. Both Guidry and Franques are scheduled to be sentenced on October 1, 2025.
Key Facts
- State: Louisiana
- Category: Public Corruption
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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