A federal grand jury has indicted the former head of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) on one count of conspiracy to commit bribery and wire fraud, three counts of wire fraud, and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.
The indictment alleged that former LDWF Secretary Jack Montoucet conspired with other officials to award state contracts in exchange for kickbacks.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Montoucet conspired with LDWF Commissioner Dusty Guidry and Louisiana resident Leonard C. Franques, IV from May 2020 until June 2022 to award a state contract to Franques’s business, DGL1. The company provided online educational courses – some of which were mandatory for hunters and boaters while other courses could be taken to resolve LDWF citations. Allegedly, Montoucet agreed to award the contract to DGL1 in exchange for kickbacks.
The indictment further claims that LDWF received USD 454,174 (EUR 399,650) from a contract with LWF – another Franques-owned business – while USD 122,508 (EUR 107,801) was held back as a kickback for Montoucet. As part of the conspiracy, Franques allegedly agreed to hire Montoucet after his retirement from LDWF and pay him the agreed kickbacks as a signing bonus.
Montoucet abruptly resigned as LDWF secretary in April 2023 after being implicated in a federal bribery investigation.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the conspiracy charge carries a possible sentence of up to five yers in prison, while the wire fraud and money laundering charges carry up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to USD 1 million (EUR 881,987).
