St. Charles Parish Hospital Board Chairman John Landry III was arrested and charged Monday (June 20) on four counts of filing false public records and four counts of conspiracy to file false records.
In addition to chairing the Hospital Board, Landry is well-known to many in St. Charles Parish as owner of the Boutte Bingo Hall.
Landry’s arrest is connected to the recent obstruction of justice guilty plea by former St. Charles Parish District Attorney Harry Morel, according to the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office.
Landry could not be reached for comment.
During the investigation into claims that Morel preyed on nearly 20 women who sought leniency from his office in exchange for sexual favors, investigators determined Morel had letters fabricated falsely claiming these women had done community service in return for sexual favors.
Landry initially denied any wrongdoing with the documents when FBI agents questioned him, according to the FBI arrest warrant.
The FBI New Orleans Public Corruption Unit and St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office recovered documents involving Morel and Landry (as head of the hospital board, president of St. Charles Bingo Hall and charter president of the Luling – Boutte Lions Club). The two were implicated in having filed fraudulent public records with the St. Charles Parish DA Office on behalf of Danelle Keim (last name McGovern at the time) and two other women not identified by the FBI, the warrant states.
In Keim’s case, Morel offered her assistance with a DWI charge in Lafourche Parish and then went to her St. Rose apartment on April 16, 2010 where he asked for sexual favors in return for it, according to the warrant. Keim pleaded guilty to the DWI charge after Morel secured an attorney to represent her, and then he assisted her by giving her 64 hours of community service that she did not have to perform and having Landry fabricate letters falsely stating it was done.
In a meeting videotaped by the FBI on July 23, 2012 at Keim’s apartment, Morel told Keim that he could not return to see her until “he got the papers,” according to the warrant. This is when Morel requested Landry’s assistance and, under Morel’s direction, got him to prepare the community service letters falsely stating she it at the Luling-Boutte Lions Club in Boutte.
Two letters were signed by Landry as “community service director of the Luling-Boutte Lions Charter President,” both of them stating Keim had done 32 hours each of community service. They were faxed to Lafourche Parish’s Community Service Department.
The arrest warrant also states Morel did the same for two women, unnamed by the FBI who were arrested in St. Charles Parish for DWI, reckless operation of a vehicle and no driver’s license in 2012. Both approached Morel for help and he agreed to do it in return for meeting with him socially for apparent sexual favors.
Again, Morel secured community service letters from Landry, both falsely stating they did the service at the Luling-Boutte Lions Club. These letters were filed with the parish’s DA Annex in Hahnville.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
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