Former St. Charles Parish District Attorney Harry Morel, 73, has pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice, a charge that could land him in prison for up to three years.
According to court records, Morel served as the elected prosecutor of St. Charles Parish from 1979 to 2012, and later as an Assistant District Attorney until 2013. He was responsible for prosecuting individuals charged with crimes in the parish.
As part of his plea agreement, Morel admitted to harassing an individual, known only as ‘A,’ in an effort to prevent her from testifying before a federal grand jury. He also admitted to soliciting sex from other individuals, including defendants and their family members, while using his office to provide them with benefits.
The investigation, which was led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office, did not implicate any other employees of the St. Charles Parish District Attorney’s Office.
U.S. Attorney Kenneth A. Polite praised the work of the investigators and prosecutors, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys James Baehr and Mark Miller, who are handling the prosecution.
Morel’s sentencing is set for August 17, 2016, and he faces a maximum of three years in prison, a fine of $250,000, and one year of supervised release.
As the investigation continues, the people of St. Charles Parish are left wondering how such corruption could have gone unchecked for so long.
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Key Facts
- State: Louisiana
- Category: Public Corruption
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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