Auditor Releases Report of Former D.A.’s Gift Card Program

The Louisiana Investigative Auditor's Office recently released a report on their findings surrounding former District Attorney John DeRosier's program allowing individuals to buy out of court-ordered community service hours. The now retired 14th Judicial D.A. fell under investigation to determine the authenticity surrounding his nonprofit gift card program run through his office. Auditors reported the program allowed defendants to pay their way out of community service by donating gift cards and money to the D.A.'s Community Assistance Program.

A summary of the report and its finding are available here. It looks like hundreds of thousands of dollars in gift cards were involved in the program. In addition, the auditor's office is said to have uncovered at least six instances where the former D.A. violated the law. The violations cited include use of funds for personal benefit, transfer of some $556,598 through the program, DeRosier's failure to disclose his role in the program, and more.

KATC reports Timothy O’Dowd, DeRosier's legal counsel, issued a five-page response to the audit. For more details, click here.