St. Landry’s Most Wanted Nabbed in Lafayette

Lafayette, LA – At approximately 4:50 p.m. thirty-two year old Kevin Lee Sam was arrested inside an apartment located at 301 Birch Drive in Lafayette. Sam is Wanted by the Sunset Police Department and St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office for 1st Degree Murder. The murder occurred on March 27th; in early April St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office requested the assistance of the U.S. Marshals Violent Offender Task Force (VOTF). Our Task Force Officer’s worked alongside St. Landry Detectives in processing leads and interviewing associates. Yesterday our work panned out when we learned that Sam was likely staying at the Glouchester Manor apartments. After a day and a half of surveillance, Sam was identified and we learned exactly where he was hiding. Lafayette SWAT was requested and they safely executed the Warrant.

Along with Sam, VOTF/Lafayette SWAT also arrested sixty-one year old Donald Robinson for a Warrant out of East Baton Rouge Parish for 1st Degree Robbery. Also, Sam’s wife, Ashley Prejean was arrested for outstanding Warrants in Lafayette for Monetary Instrument Abuse.

Henry Whitehorn, the United States Marshal for the Western District of Louisiana, said, “The coordinated effort of all law enforcement to bring dangerous criminals to justice ensures that the streets and neighborhoods of Louisiana are a safer place to raise our children.”

The Violent Offender Task Force in Lafayette is a team comprised of full-time law enforcement officers from the Lafayette City Marshals, Iberia Parish Sheriff’s Office, Lafayette Police Department, St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office, St. Martin Parish Sheriff’s Office, and Louisiana Probation and Parole. Further, VOTF calls upon part-time TFO’s throughout its eight parish area. In 2010 VOTF -- Lafayette closed over 400 Warrants, most of which were violent felony offenses. U.S. Marshals Task Forces throughout the United States arrested 81,900 state and local fugitives on felony charges.

Five Belaire Area Defendants Arrested

BATON ROUGE, LA — United States Attorney Donald J. Cazayoux, Jr. announced that five defendants were arrested on April 12, 2011, on federal gun and drug charges. All of the defendants are from the Belaire area. The ATF Metro Gun Task Force, in conjunction with the Violent Crimes Unit, targeted the Belaire area after numerous recent incidents of gun–related crimes. The Belaire area has one of the highest number of crime gun recoveries in the past 12 months in Baton Rouge. The five defendants are now in Federal custody.

The following defendants were arrested today:

JONATHAN WILLIAMS, age 29, was charged with being a felon–in–possession of a firearm in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1). Williams faces a maximum sentence of ten (10) years imprisonment and a fine of $250,000.

RONALD RANDALL, age 27, was charged with being a felon–in–possession of a firearm in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1). Randall faces a maximum sentence of ten (10) years imprisonment and a fine of $250,000.

DEATRIC BERRY, age 32, was charged with being a felon–in–possession of 6 firearms in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1), and possession of cocaine base, also known as crack cocaine. Berry faces a maximum sentence of ten (10) years imprisonment and a fine of $250,000 on the gun count, and one (1) year imprisonment and a fine of $100,000 on the drug count.

KENNY KYSER, age 21, was charged with being a felon–in–possession of a firearm in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1). Kyser faces a maximum sentence of ten (10) years imprisonment and a fine of $250,000.

CARDELL MINOR, 31, was charged with being a felon–in–possession of two firearms in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1), and possession of cocaine and cocaine base, also known as crack cocaine. Minor faces a maximum sentence of ten (10) years imprisonment and a fine of $250,000 on the gun count, and one (1) year imprisonment and a fine of $100,000 on the drug count.

ATF Special Agent–in–Charge Phillip Durham said, “Our goal is to continue working hand in hand with our other law enforcement partners to reduce violent crime in our communities. We will aggressively focus on removing firearms from the hands of the violent offenders. We will continue to focus on one neighborhood at a time, one perpetrator at a time, one illegal gun at a time, one gang at a time, and one hot–spot at a time. This is a critically important mission, and the indictments and arrests in this joint investigation proves that our team effort is paying off. We hope the citizens of Baton Rouge will continue to work with our team to make our communities safer places to live.”

East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney Hillar Moore stated, “This is another incident of how closely federal, state, and local law enforcement and prosecutors are working together to make Baton Rouge a safer place. I am very happy with the combined efforts and look forward to the initiative continuing.”

United States Attorney Donald J. Cazayoux, Jr. stated, “This is a prime example of how the ATF Metro Gun Task Force, in conjunction with the Violent Crimes Unit, which consists of our federal, state and local partners, can have a positive impact on specific neighborhoods within our community. We will continue to participate with our partners to bring order to our neighborhoods in need. ‘This was a joint undertaking of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Louisiana State Police, Baton Rouge Police Department, East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office, East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney’s Office, and the United States Marshals Service.

Record 309-Year Sentence Upheld for White-Collar Criminal

BATON ROUGE, LA—United States Attorney Donald J. Cazayoux, Jr., announced today that the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld a sentence of 309 years' imprisonment for Robert Thompson, also known as John Lawson, age 44, of Zachary, Louisiana. Chief U.S. District Judge Ralph E. Tyson imposed the sentence on February 17, 2010, following Thompson's conviction on one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and obstruct justice; seven counts of wire fraud; one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, mail fraud, and money laundering; one count of mail fraud; one count of honest services mail fraud; one count of money laundering; four counts of access device fraud; two counts of aggravated identify theft; one count of computer fraud; one count of bank fraud; and one count of obstruction of justice.

The 309-year sentence constituted the fourth-longest white-collar prison sentence in U.S. history and the longest such sentence in the history of the Middle District of Louisiana. Thompson is currently serving his sentence in a specialized communication management unit located within the maximum security federal penitentiary in Marion, Illinois. The unit is one of only two in the country and is specially designed to deal with inmates who are prone to use communication with the outside to facilitate additional crimes.

This matter involved Thompson, a career criminal, engaging in multiple, long-running conspiracies with numerous co-conspirators to obtain and use the personal and financial information of approximately 150 individuals, churches, financial institutions, and businesses, without their knowledge or authorization, to steal from their bank accounts and use their credit to obtain things of value, including attempting to steal $20,000,000 from one victim's bank accounts. To facilitate the scheme, Thompson enlisted corrections officers to assist him through bribery and other means.

This matter was led by the U.S. Attorney's Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's Office, and the security and investigations staff of the Elayn Hunt Correctional Center. Many other agencies assisted in the investigation, including the Madison Parish Sheriff's Office, the Concordia Parish Sheriff's Office, East Feliciana Parish Sheriff's Office, the Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office, the Hardeman County, Tennessee, Sheriff's Office, the Bolivar, Tennessee Police Department, the Baton Rouge Police Department, and the Louisiana Department of Corrections.

This matter was prosecuted by Senior Deputy Criminal Chief Corey R. Amundson and Assistant United States Attorney Alan A. Stevens. Appellate Chief Catherine M. Marist and Assistant United States Attorney Helina S. Dayries handled the appeal.

Outside the Crescent City

January 20, 2007 (San Dimas, CA) The Crescent City is not the only birthplace of Louisiana police officers who have authored books. Indeed, Police-Writers.com added four officers from surrounding Parishes who have penned gripping tales of murder, corruption and the dark side of humanity. Added to the list are Chester Pritchett, Karl Kretser, Gary Lee Bordelon and James S. Prine.

Chester Pritchett has served for more than twenty years with the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office, which is in south Louisiana near New Orleans and Baton Rouge. He is a life long bachelor and devoted public. Since 1994, Chester has finished four manuscripts and continues to write. “Exit 28: The Case of The Hooded Shooter” is his first book and is based on the events that unfolded in Oklahoma, Mississippi and Louisiana in 1995. The case proved controversial from Los Angeles to New York because it involved high-profile names like Edmondson and Oliver Stone.

Retired Lieutenant Karl Kretser, East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's Office, is the Lieutenant of Detectives who writes true crime novels based on the cases he investigated. As an example, “Danced to Death” focuses on the 1985 discovery of a badly decomposed body of a nude woman. That woman turned out to be 25-year-old Teresa Moore, who disappeared days before from a convenience store. The suspect’s sketch hit the papers and then the case went cold. After many years, Karl Kretser took over the case and the hunt for a serial rapist in the state of Louisiana.

Shades of Grey is the autobiography of Gary Lee Bordelon who was a Louisiana State Trooper and a Louisiana State Narcotic Agent. His book depicts the corruption Gary Bordelon witnessed by other city and state Louisiana police officers; until his dismissal as a state Louisiana police officer and state narcotic agent in April, 1979. His personal tale of corruption details drug dealing, lying and stealing done by fellow officers. It breaks down dates and times of several shake downs and meetings that resulted in many arrests.

James S. Prine, a veteran of the New Orleans Police Department has written “Real Police: Stories from the Crescent City.” The book is a compilation of stories about police work from a police officer’s point of view. The term “Crescent City” is one of the nicknames given to New Orleans and refers to the course of the Mississippi River around the city. According to a review from the New Orleans Gambit, “I wouldn't suggest it to the squeamish, the politically correct or anyone who prefers not to know too much about their neighbors or our protectors. It is suggested reading, however, for those with morbid curiosities, those who empathize with our police force and anyone planning a career in law enforcement.” James’ second work is a collection of short stories brought together under the title “Tales from the Id.”

Police-Writers.com now hosts 271 police officers (representing 110 police departments) and their 679 books in six categories, there are also listings of United States federal law enforcement employees turned authors and international police officers who have written books.