Louisiana news briefs

Businessman who testified against Nagin gets 1 year
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A businessman who specialized in disaster recovery and bribed former New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin with more than $150,000 in cash and gifts to steer work his way after Hurricane Katrina was sentenced Wednesday to a year in prison.
Frank Fradella pleaded guilty in 2012 to conspiracy to commit bribery in Nagin’s corruption case, and he pleaded guilty in a separate securities fraud matter involving a Dallas company.
Fradella’s testimony was key to getting convictions in 14 of the 20 counts Nagin was found guilty of, prosecutors said.
Defense attorney Randall Smith and Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Pickens stood on either side of Fradella and urged leniency from the judge.
“I’ve yet to run into a cooperator who was as helpful as Mr. Fradella,” Pickens said.
Nagin is serving a 10-year sentence for bribery, fraud and money laundering that spanned his two terms as mayor from 2002-2010, including a period of chaos and slow recovery from catastrophic flooding after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Orleans jury could decide soon in ‘guest worker’ lawsuit
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Weeks of trial in a lawsuit claiming a marine services company defrauded guest workers from India and subjected them to forced labor may be nearing an end in New Orleans.
A jury has begun deliberations in the lawsuit against Signal International. The trial began in mid-January.
It’s one of multiple lawsuits backed by the Southern Poverty Law Center on behalf of workers brought to the Gulf Coast on temporary work visas who were allegedly misled, subjected to substandard housing and falsely promised “green cards” allowing them to stay in the U.S.
Signal has denied wrongdoing and, in court records and testimony, has pointed fingers at a labor recruitment firm and an immigration lawyer who are co-defendants in the case.

Ex-Carencro police officer indicted in strip club probe
LAFAYETTE (AP) — A federal grand jury has indicted a former Carencro police officer on charges of extortion and lying to federal officers in a corruption investigation that centered on the now shuttered Desperado’s Gentlemen’s Cabaret.
Federal prosecutors said Timmy Prejean has been charged with one count of interference with commerce by extortion, one count of obtaining information from a government computer and two counts of making false statements to federal investigators.
The indictment say Prejean’s duties included issuing city licenses for exotic dancers within city limits.
Prosecutors say Prejean allegedly received cash from Desperado’s owners from Jan. 1, 2007, to Dec. 5, 2012, the day local, state and federal law enforcement raided the strip club after a lengthy undercover investigation.

Man robs Thibodaux bank
THIBODAUX (AP) — Authorities are looking for a man who robbed a Thibodaux bank before fleeing on foot.
Thibodaux Police spokesman David Melancon said the man entered Coastal Commerce Bank Wednesday afternoon and took an unspecified amount of cash.
Melancon says no one was hurt during the robbery.

Construction starts on
Baton Rouge Water Campus
BATON ROUGE (AP) — It’s all bare earth now, but a big future is envisioned for the property along Mississippi River in Baton Rouge.
The Water Campus is expected to be a national and international hub for river, coastal and delta research.
On Wednesday, government and nonprofit officials gathered to mark the beginning of construction for the project.
The first of three buildings to start construction this year will be the LSU Center for River Studies, which will house a large-scale model of the lower Mississippi River. The model will allow researchers and students to test the river’s workings and study the impact of modifications, like coastal restoration diversions.
Money for the project is coming from Coastal Impact Assistance Program money with the building donated to LSU once complete.

Trial date set for teen in Baker Civic Club shooting
BATON ROUGE (AP) — Prosecutors say a 16-year-old Baton Rouge boy accused of fatally shooting three teenagers and injuring a fourth inside the Baker Civic Club last March will stand trial Oct. 19.
The teen is charged with three counts of second-degree murder in the killing of Marcell Franklin and Kendal Dorsey, both 15, and 18-year-old Diontrey Claiborne. He also faces an attempted second-degree murder charge in the wounding of 19-year-old Javaughn Simmons.
The teens were attending a birthday party and rap concert at the club March 28.

Woman wounded in shooting near busy New Orleans street
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — New Orleans police say a shooting near busy Canal Street seriously wounded a woman but she’s expected to survive and the accused gunman is in custody.
The department’s 8th District commander, Jeffrey Walls, says authorities arrested a 17-year-old boy Wednesday, about a half-hour after the 44-year-old woman was shot in the chest. Police said she is not believed to have been the shooter’s target.
The teenager jumped on a bus immediately after the shooting, and authorities followed it. He was arrested and found in possession of a handgun. He was booked with aggravated battery and illegal carrying of weapons.
The shooting happened at the edge of the city’s Central Business District and about four blocks from a parade route, hours ahead of two Mardi Gras parades.

Wildlife agents arrest man wanted on Miss. murder charge
BATON ROUGE (AP) — The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries says an agent smelled marijuana while giving a ride to a distressed motorist. Enforcement spokesman Adam Einck says agents later arrested three Mississippi men, one of them wanted on a murder charge in Mississippi.
Einck says all three had records and were booked with possessing cocaine and possessing a firearm after a felony conviction. He says one is awaiting extradition to Mississippi on a murder charge.