The Livingston Parish Council voted 6-2 Thursday night to send a leaked-checks scandal that forced officials to shut down a parish bank account to the Louisiana Attorney General's Office and the Louisiana Board of Ethics for review. The vote came after a council member acknowledged handing over images of unredacted parish checks to a district attorney candidate, who then used them in a campaign mailer attacking his opponent.
The amended resolution, brought forward by council member Erin Sandefur, asks state officials to examine both the released checks and the parish's payments to Moody Law Firm, according to The Advocate. The resolution specifically asks for scrutiny of all contracts and payments involving Moody Law Firm from Jan. 1, 2023, to the present, per WAFB. As WBRZ reported, the council approved requesting review by both the Attorney General's Office and the Board of Ethics.
A Mailer Exposes Parish Bank Details
The trouble started with a campaign mailer from Sherman Mack, a candidate for 21st Judicial District Attorney, who used images of actual parish checks that still showed unredacted bank account and routing numbers. The mailer accused his opponent, Brad Cascio, a Moody Law Firm attorney, of having excessively benefited from the parish's litigation work.
Moody Law Firm had been paid by the parish government to assist with litigation against Ascension Properties Inc. over its proposed Deer Run development, according to the same Advocate report. That underlying legal fight is now the subject of the state's requested payment review.
Account Closed, Transition Expected to Take Weeks
The exposure of the account's routing and bank information compromised its security, forcing local officials to close the affected account and open a new one. The full transition to the new account is expected to take several weeks, according to WBRZ.
Sandefur later acknowledged providing the check images to Mack, saying she was concerned about the parish's payments to Moody Law Firm. The parish's finance department had first told the council's Finance Committee about the mailers at a Sept. 24 meeting, The Advocate reported.
Criminal Investigation and Tense Council Exchange
Scott Perrilloux, the 21st Judicial District Attorney, launched a criminal investigation into the matter, according to the article. The decision to also refer the case to the Attorney General's Office and the Board of Ethics adds another layer of review to a situation already under that criminal inquiry, the same account states.
Tensions surfaced on the council floor, where fellow council member John Mangus said that using the information to help another campaign constituted a breach of trust. Sandefur replied that Mangus did not know what happened and should not assume, according to the report.
Separately, the council tabled proposed changes to procedures governing members' requests for documents from the clerk's office, opting instead to discuss and revise the policy in committee before bringing it back for another vote. The mailer has become a flashpoint in the district attorney's race, intensifying scrutiny of the parish's handling of sensitive financial records as the matter now awaits review by state authorities.
