In the following Sound Off Louisiana feature, founder Robert Burns provides an overview of a major article published in the Baton Rouge Business Report that hits the highpoints on previous Sound Off Louisiana posts entailing Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards’ auction board appointee, Jeff Henderson, and several civil fraud litigation cases entailing alleged fraud on the part of one or more individuals, including Jeff’s father, Marvin Henderson, the founder of Henderson Auctions in Livingston, Louisiana:
CLICK HERE for the Louisiana Association of Professional Auctioneer (LAPA)’s profile for notoriously-problematic auctioneer Ken Buhler, who is pictured in the Business Report article calling auctions for Henderson Auctions in the fall of 2016.
[CLICK HERE to see a 9/20/10 video of Ken Buhler pleading for his auction license to be reinstated (after it was revoked for nonpayment of consignors in 2006), during which LAPA President Freddie Phillips stood resolute as the only member of the Auctioneer Licensing Board (LALB) to oppose Buhler’s reinstatement. Viewers can also see Marvin Henderson strongly encouraging the LALB to reinstate Buhler’s license.]
[Nine months after the LALB reinstated Buhler’s license, and with a civil trial for alleged fraudulent use of interstate commerce instrumentalities hanging over his head, Buhler was found to be liable by a Federal jury for the fraudulent use of those instrumentalities.]
Keith Babb, who fired off this venom-filled 5/18/16 email lambasting Robert Burns and Freddie Phillips
for publishing all of the corruption in the Louisiana auction industry, takes great pride in inducting Marvin Henderson into the National Auctioneer’s Association (NAA) Hall of Fame.
CLICK HERE for a Louisiana Voice article Burns wrote on December 4, 2016 entailing formaldehyde concerns for 22,000 FEMA trailers which Henderson Auctions purchased and resold from the Federal government after Hurricane Katrina.
CLICK HERE for Henderson’s 2010 testimony against a bill to strengthen shill bidding laws in Louisiana. [CLICK HERE for Henderson’s rebuke of Burns for testifying in favor of a bill strengthening shill bidding and stating in the end that, had it passed, “it would put me out of business.”]
Secretary of State listings for Fairlight Films: listing 1 and listing 2.
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In a controversial presentation that left many in the audience shaking their heads upon its conclusion, Together Baton Rouge leader Broderick Bagert, at a meeting of the Press Club of Baton Rouge of Monday, February 6, 2017, stated that, while Baton Rouge Police drug enforcement practices are “not intentionally discriminatory,” they nevertheless produce “results which are profoundly discriminatory.” Here’s a highlight video of Bagert’s presentation:
Bagert initially provides stats, then says BR Police practices are “not intentionally discriminatory,” after which he states that the practices “nevertheless produce results which are profoundly discriminatory.”
CLICK HERE for Bagert’s presentation in its entirety and CLICK HERE for Bagert’s handout provided to BRPC members.
If you would like to be added to our Sound Off Louisiana email list to be notified of future Sound Off posts, simply scroll to the very bottom of this page (mobile devices) or to the end of the right-hand column (desktops) and supply your email address within the subscribe box. You’ll then receive an automated email from Word Press, and all you have to do is click on the blue “confirm follow” bar contained within that email, and you’ll begin receiving great posts such as the preceding one above.
Prior to the start of the 2010 exhibition season of the New Orleans Saints, Budweiser sought to obtain exclusive rights to sell alcohol at Champions Square during the fast-approaching season. Budweiser made clear its willingness to remit a $300,000 payment to the State of Louisiana to obtain such an exclusivity agreement. The Commissioner of Alcohol Tobacco Control (ATC) at the time, Murphy Painter, refused to approve Champion Square’s liquor license with that stipulation because Louisiana law forbids such exclusivity agreements.
Painter was then strong-armed by then-Gov. Bobby Jindal to issue the license, and he indicated that he would do so only if Jindal’s then-Chief Executive Counsel, Stephen Waguespack, would draft a letter instructing Painter to issue the license. Waguespack, clearly sensing the illegality of the exclusivity provision, declined to issue such a letter saying, “It would not be an efficient use of my time.”
Painter did not budge, so late in the evening on Friday, August 13, 2010, Jindal summoned Painter to his office and terminated him. Meanwhile Louisiana Office of Inspector General (OIG) Investigator Shane Evans and others were dispatched to ATC to attempt to find justification for Jindal’s action. Over three years later, OIG’s investigatory techniques were laid bare in an utterly laughable Federal trial (which prosecutors never dreamed would transpire going on the premise that Painter could not afford the $500,000 defense costs and would simply fold and accept a plea).
Though none of the alleged counts in the 29-count indictment (that even survived for trial) were much more credible (see details at preceding link), Federal Judge James Brady openly asked if two of those counts, for which Painter was indicted for using an ATC address database to mail sympathy cards to two colleagues whose mother had just passed away, “rise to the level of a Federal offense?”
The end result was a quick acquittal of Painter on all charges, after which Louisiana taxpayers had to pay his $500,000 in legal fees. That doesn’t include the massive amount of wasted Federal taxpayer dollars (almost assuredly in excess of $1 million), the cost and man-hours of the OIG for its so-called “investigation,” the massive legal fees the State has incurred in defending the civil litigation Painter filed in 19th JDC for which yet another hearing is scheduled in early February, or any judgment that may ultimately ensue from Painter’s civil litigation.
So, because the OIG “takes referrals from the Governor” (see second block after clicking on “initiation” at this link) who technically cannot remove Street but who holds tremendous power over Louisiana legislators, who CAN remove Street, he is in no way, shape, or form “independent” from the Governor!
Around the same time Painter experienced his cram-through of corruption at Jindal’s hands, Corey delaHoussaye, on contract with Livingston Parish to assist with cleaning up massive documentation problems the parish had with the Army Corps of Engineers in the aftermath of Hurricane Gustav, was busy serving as an FBI informant to report $58 million in fraudulent claims to FEMA (especially noteworthy in the preceding link is FEMA attorney Linda Litke’s highlighted text entailing delaHoussaye’s role as a “confirmed FBI agent,” and referencing Street’s investigation of delaHoussaye as “reprehensible”).
Like Painter, delaHoussaye’s actions, which resulted in many irate contractors in Livingston Parish who weren’t paid for fraudulent invoices and who supported Jindal in 2007 and would be supporting him again in 2011, didn’t please Jindal.
Consequently, Jindal again ordered Street’s Office to “investigate” delaHoussaye. Street didn’t let the fact that the OIG lacked jurisdiction to investigate a municipal agency because it is not a “covered” agency get in the way of an aggressive “investigation” of delaHoussaye.
That “investigation” included a 5:00 a.m., guns-drawn, full-blown raid on his home during which 19 Terabytes of computer files and hard-copy personal tax returns were seized. The charge? An allegation that delaHoussaye may have cheated the State of Louisiana out of $6,000 (out of $2 million in invoiced charges) during which he was attending to personal business rather than actually working.
In addition to the lack of jurisdiction, also lost on Street, who, as a CPA, he should be cognizant of, was the fact that delaHoussaye never was an employee of the State of Louisiana but was instead an independent contractor. The difference simply cannot be over-emphasized because, as Street should know, if the “employer” lacks the ability to control when, where, and how an “employee” performs his work, he is deemed an independent contractor.
What that means is that Livingston Parish (not the OIG) could investigate and charge delaHoussaye only if he did not work the number of hours he said he did!
It’s irrelevant when he worked the hours as long as he DID work them. DelaHoussaye asserted that he worked more than the hours for which he billed and also argued that he had to camouflage the hours he reported as working in order to be able to meet with the FBI.
That whole matter was rendered moot, however, when 21st JDC Judge Brenda Ricks suppressed all of the “evidence” against delaHoussaye because the OIG lacked the jurisdiction to obtain it in the first place!
With those two high-profile instances of Street readily demonstrating that he is in no way independent of the Governor’s Office and after Street provided an excellent lead-in to a question by Sound Off Louisiana founder Robert Burns entailing New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, Burns asked a simple question of Street at the January 30, 2017 meeting of the Baton Rouge Press Club which readily provided Street the opportunity to demonstrate that he is independent of the Governor’s Office. Let’s watch Street’s nonsensical answer, shall we?
IG Stephen Street provides completely nonsensical “answer” to question posed by Burns
Street, clearly uncomfortable with one-on-one questions from reporters, gets downright flippant with Burns regarding his question on the organization chart of other IG offices across the nation.
Well, you saw it folks, Street declared his office “independent,” so in his mind, it is so! Keep on telling yourself that, Inspector Street!
Everyone can plainly see the reality is 180-degrees opposite and that you live in utter fear of being flushed by the Legislators upon pressure being applied on them from the Governor to fire you.
After all, Street is keenly aware that Jindal put extreme pressure on him to go after Painter and delaHoussaye, so why would he be exempt from such pressure being imposed by Legislators if he doesn’t “toe the line” and the Governor commands them to send him packing?
If you would like to be added to our Sound Off Louisiana email list to be notified of future Sound Off posts, simply scroll to the very bottom of this page (mobile devices) or to the end of the right-hand column (desktops) and supply your email address within the subscribe box. You’ll then receive an automated email from Word Press, and all you have to do is click on the blue “confirm follow” bar contained within that email, and you’ll begin receiving great posts such as the preceding one above.
