Federal grand jury requests Harrison records

A federal grand jury in New Orleans requested House records of reimbursements since 2009 to Rep. Joe Harrison, R-Napoleonville, according to a subpoena signed July 15 and obtained by NOLA.com The Times-Picayune and WVUE Fox 8 News.
According to NOLA.com, the subpoena was issued three weeks after the news organizations reported that Harrison charged his campaign more than $25,700 in gas purchases between 2010 and 2013 while also receiving nearly $24,900 in mileage reimbursements from the House, according to public records.
The report said the news organizations found no evidence that Harrison repaid any of his campaign’s gas expenses.
On Monday, Harrison confirmed the federal investigation involves the findings of the news report, and said he is cooperating with authorities, NOLA.com reported.
Harrison said, “As a result of an erroneous news report, I was asked to give some information. I’m fully cooperating and I trust the process will resolve this matter,” according to NOLA.com.
The report by Manuel Torres of NOLA.com and The Times Picayune, and Lee Zurik of WVUE Fox 8 News, said Harrison would not say what was “erroneous” about the news report, which was based on an examination of records from his campaign and the House.
Harrison also said he had not been interviewed by FBI agents, but is in the process of looking into hiring an attorney.
The report said the grand jury investigation is the second federal probe involving findings reported by “Louisiana Purchased,” a comprehensive examination of the state’s campaign finance system.
“The federal government is beginning to pay attention to some of the reports that you are presenting about double-dipping,” Ed Chervenak, a University of New Orleans political science professor, said of the Harrison investigation. “Given the fact that there seems to be some impropriety there, the FBI decided to get involved.”
The Harrison probe is looking at public payments he received as reimbursements for expenses he claimed as part of his work as a legislator, according to the July subpoena, the report said. The document ordered House Clerk Alfred “Butch” Speer to provide to the FBI records since Jan. 1, 2009, “in any way related to reimbursements requested by and payments made to” Harrison.
The records were to be delivered to the FBI’s New Orleans office by Aug. 1, the subpoena said.
The records requested cover years in which Harrison also claimed thousands of dollars in gas purchases through his campaign. Reporters reviewing the records found that Harrison’s campaign payments for gas and the taxpayer money he received for mileage reimbursements added up to more than $50,600 from 2010 to 2013, the report said.
Reporters found numerous instances in which Harrison was reimbursed by the House for travel on the same dates and locations where he paid for gas through his campaign — with no evidence that the House reimbursement was used to repay the campaign.
Harrison told reporters in May that he drives about 50,000 miles per year “easy,” mostly for official duties to represent his district, which includes parts of four south Louisiana parishes between Houma and Morgan City and south of Labadieville.
“Driving 50,000 miles in Harrison’s district would require him to be on the road an astonishing amount of time,” the NOLA.com report stated. “A loop reaching his district’s farthest localities — from Harrison’s office in Gray to Dulac, Morgan City, Labadieville and back to Gray — would total only 123 miles. Harrison would have to make that loop 406 times in a year to reach the miles he told reporters he drives.”