Duhons sue Capital Management

A Morgan City couple, who has been charged with multiple counts of theft from an investment holdings company, filed a lawsuit Tuesday saying the company and company’s spokesman made “false accusations” against them in a lawsuit and to the media.
Karen Duhon and Armond Duhon filed a lawsuit Tuesday in 16th Judicial District Court against Capital Management Consultants, company spokesman Marwan Mohey-El-Dien and other officials within the company.
The couple and a Houma woman have been charged by Morgan City Police with theft from the company totaling nearly $3 million.
On June 25, Armond Duhon, of Sixth Street in Morgan City, was arrested by Morgan City Police at his residence on warrants including 23 counts of theft over $1,500 totaling $773,785.27, money laundering, intimidation of witnesses and racketeering.
The Morgan City Police Department’s investigation into the alleged theft of funds from Capital Management Consultants began March 25, 2014, in which theft of funds from several accounts belonging to the Capital Management Consultants Inc. were reported.
On July 29, 2014, Karen Duhon turned herself in to the Morgan City Police Department where she was booked and charged with eight counts of felony theft totaling $1.233 million. On Jan. 2, Karen Duhon was additionally charged with 28 counts of theft totaling $221,807.01.
On July 24, 2014, Donna Sue Peveto of Houma was arrested on a warrant charging her with seven counts of felony theft totaling $633,700 from the company.
On Dec. 30, 2014, Capital Management Consultants filed a lawsuit against Karen Duhon and Armond Duhon, among other defendants.
On Dec. 31, 2014, KATC reported that Mohey-El-Dien stated that Karen Duhon and Scott Tucker became romantically involved when she was hired in 1982 and “used a manual, outdated accounting system to hide their theft for decades,” Duhons’ lawsuit says.
The article also stated that Karen Duhon and Armond Duhon opened a personal checking account in Capital Management Consultant’s name to deposit checks made out to the company, the lawsuit says. “There is no truth to even one of these unsubstantiated statements,” the lawsuit says.
On Jan. 1, Karen Duhon’s photo and “headline article” appeared in The Daily Review titled “Theft up to $30M alleged” and “Company rep says centers on ‘money, sex and drugs.’”
Both the lawsuit against Karen Duhon and The Daily Review article alleged a sexual relationship between Karen Duhon and Tucker, among other allegations, the lawsuit says.
Mohey-El-Dien, who was the source of the article’s information, additionally alleged that Duhon’s daughter was involved and benefited from Karen Duhon’s theft and fraud, the lawsuit says.
Mohey-El-Dien made additional statements to The Daily Comet, which were published Jan. 6, essentially mirroring the “false accusations” made to The Daily Review, but also stated, “She (Karen Duhon) was running her own mafia …,” the suit says.
The Dec. 30 Capital Management Consultants lawsuit, in which Karen Duhon and Armond Duhon were among the defendants, stated “that Karen Duhon and Armond Duhon deposited checks payable to Capital Management Consultants, Inc., into their personal bank account, and that they submitted false invoices for payment to Capital Management Consultants, Inc., for payments for services never performed by ABC Siding Company of Morgan City, Inc.”
The Duhons’ lawsuit says, “Based on information and belief, the allegations in the suit and statements made to the media and court are slanderous in nature, false, and meant to do nothing more than harm the reputation of Karen Duhon, Armond Duhon, their family, and ABC Siding of Morgan City, Inc., and other persons connected these parties.”
The lawsuit continued saying, “None of the allegations of fraud, theft or drug association have been substantiated by concrete evidence; no court has made a finding of fraud or theft, and such allegations are no more than inflammatory, defamatory and false conclusions alleged to both this Court and the general public through the public records of St. Mary Parish and the media.”
Since Capital Management Consultants’ allegations, Karen Duhon and Armond Duhon “have been exposed to unsolicited media attention, numerous stories in local and regional outlets, and other serious defamatory remarks” made by the Capital Management Consultants officials, including Mohey-El-Dien, “which have damaged and continue to damage the plaintiffs’ reputations,” the lawsuit says.
The defendants’ accusations against the plaintiffs “were without merit, frivolous, and founded in malice in an attempt to cause damage to the person and reputation of Karen Duhon, Armond Duhon and their family, and ABC Siding of Morgan City, Inc.”
As a result of the defendants’ actions, the petitioners have sustained injuries and damages consisting of legal expenses, physical and mental pain and suffering, loss of wages, income and fringe benefits and damage to earning capacity, loss of enjoyment of living, loss of consortium, embarrassment and humiliation, inconvenience and other damages, the lawsuit says.
The lawsuit says the defendants are liable to pay statutory penalties and attorney’s fees to the petitioners.
On Wednesday afternoon, Mohey-El-Dien said he was not yet aware of the lawsuit against Capital Management Consultants, him and other company officials.
When The Daily Review informed him of the lawsuit, Mohey-El-Dien said, “We’ll see them in court.”

This story was written by Zachary Fitzgerald of The Daily Review staff. Reach him at zfitzgerald@daily-review.com.