A federal grand jury in Lafayette, Louisiana, returned an indictment Wednesday charging a former Louisiana Assistant District Attorney with conspiracy to commit bribery, bribery, using his cell phone in furtherance of bribery, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and obstruction of justice.
According to court documents, Gary Haynes, 66, of Lafayette, conspired with Dusty Guidry, Leonard Franques, and others to solicit and accept bribes, kickbacks, and other valuable items while serving as an Assistant District Attorney in the 15th Judicial District Attorney’s Office.
The indictment alleges that Haynes oversaw the D.A.’s Office’s Pretrial Intervention (PTI) program, which offered an alternative to criminal prosecution for certain criminal offenders.
Haynes approved defendants for a program and directed them to take courses offered by companies owned by Franques.
Defendants paid for these courses to complete the program and had their charges dismissed by Haynes.
Haynes, Guidry, and Franques agreed that Haynes would receive kickbacks in return for enrolling people in the program, directing them to Franques’ companies, and then dismissing their charges once they completed and paid for the courses.
The indictment also alleges that Haynes and his co-conspirators discussed ways to hide the kickback payments, including reactivating a defunct company to conceal the proceeds.
Additionally, Haynes instructed a co-conspirator to alter, destroy, and hide documents to prevent them from being used in future proceedings.
Haynes faces charges of conspiracy to commit bribery, bribery involving federal funds, two counts of using his phone to aid bribery, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and obstruction of justice. If convicted, he faces up to 65 years in prison.
Franques pleaded guilty on Jan. 12 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 Oct. 24.
The FBI New Orleans Field Office and IRS Criminal Investigation are investigating the case.
Trial Attorneys Steven Loew and Trevor Wilmot of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. attorneys John Luke Walker and John Nickel for the Western District of Louisiana are prosecuting the case.