Ex-drainage chairman pleads guilty to criminal mischief

An ex-St. Mary Parish drainage district chairman has been sentenced to serve probation after pleading guilty to a criminal mischief charge in a case where he had been accused of receiving improper payments from a former maintenance supervisor.

Carl Kraemer, 52, of Patterson, pleaded guilty Feb. 2 to the charge of criminal mischief under the Alford plea, which is a type of guilty plea where the defendant doesn't admit guilt, Louisiana Assistant Attorney General Jeff Traylor said. The state attorney general formally charged Kraemer with criminal mischief the day of the plea, St. Mary Parish Clerk of Court records stated. Kraemer is a former chairman of St. Mary Parish Consolidated Gravity District 2, a public entity in charge of drainage infrastructure in the Morgan City area.

According to the bill of information, Kraemer gave a false report June 7, 2016, to an officer of the law relating to the commission of a crime. As part of Kraemer’s plea, he paid $42,833 in restitution to the drainage district, Traylor said.

On the motion of Assistant Attorney General Barry Milligan, District Judge Greg Aucoin dismissed the remaining charge against Kraemer of prohibited splitting of profits, fees and commissions, court records stated.

Aucoin sentenced Kraemer to six months of unsupervised probation.

A May 2015 audit report accused Peter Businelle, a former district maintenance supervisor who also did business as PAB Welding, of acquiring district business worth about $2.6 million for PAB Welding between 2009 and 2013, when he was a supervisor for the drainage district. Businelle was also accused of paying nearly $43,000 to Kraemer.

The audit report also found evidence that more than $10,000 worth of equipment had been purchased with district funds and could not be found. The drainage district board has since been reconstituted with new membership.

A grand jury had indicted Kraemer Jan. 4, 2016, on the charge of prohibited splitting of profits, fees and commissions.

The indictment had stated that from April 1, 2012, through March 1, 2013, Kraemer received something of value as a public officer for the benefit himself, and the value was derived from an agreement to which the state or a subdivision thereof was a party.

Businelle, 69, of Morgan City, was charged with giving Kraemer the something of value described in Kraemer’s indictment.

Businelle was indicted in the case and still faces the charges of prohibited splitting of profits, fees and commissions, public payroll fraud and public contract fraud. Businelle’s trial is set for July 24.

From Jan. 13, 2012, through Nov. 30, 2013, Businelle allegedly received compensation for services he didn’t actually do “or for services grossly inadequate” for the compensation received. Over same time period, Businelle was accused of using his position as an employee to secure paying public funds to himself or any partnership of which he is a member.

The 16th Judicial District Attorney’s Office turned the investigation into the case over to the attorney general in May 2015, citing a potential conflict involving a district attorney’s employee who is also a former drainage district board member.

The district attorney began the investigation when it wrote to Legislative Auditor Daryl Pupera, saying the office had received information that an independent contractor may have misappropriated district funds.