News -> INDReporter MON, APR 4 9:15AM by Heather Miller

James Gill: Mouton ‘may well fold’ to the feds for a deal

Longtime Times-Picayune political columnist James Gill says Lafayette’s Henry Mouton is “under enormous pressure” to accept a plea agreement in exchange for his testimony against landfill giant Fred Heebe.

Gill writes in a Sunday Times-Pic column that Mouton’s recent federal indictment was a mere consequence of federal investigators’ ongoing probe into former Jefferson Parish President Aaron Broussard and his administration, which helped to shape a still controversial $160 million garbage disposal contract with River Birch Landfill, owned by Heebe.

Mouton has been formally charged with conspiracy, receiving illegal payoffs and making false statements to federal agents after the feds found that Mouton, a former state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries commissioner, received almost a half a million dollars from River Birch landfill while lobbying for the closure of a rival landfill.

The feds are accusing Mouton of using his position as a WL&F commissioner to lobby for the landfill, but recent articles point out that Mouton was paid by River Birch years before and stayed on the payroll for another two years after leaving the commission:

Mouton’s indictment leaves the strong impression that the feds have Heebe cold, but, [Heebe’s lawyer Kyle] Schonekas points out, it does so by mangling fact. It suggests, for instance, that Mouton started receiving payments from River Birch shortly after he was appointed to the wildlife commission in 2003. In fact, he had been on the payroll since 1999, Schonekas says. That, unless the feds suspect Heebe of clairvoyance, hardly fits the theory that he was taken on to use his official stroke to squelch River Birch’s competition.

[Mouton] may well fold yet, and will indeed be under enormous pressure to do so. According to the indictment, Mouton lied to the FBI and failed to pay taxes on the River Birch money, so the feds can destroy him regardless of the bribery rap. But if he is sweating, so will the feds be so long as he declines to roll over, because Heebe promises to be a tough nut.

Read Gill’s column here.

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Comments (4)

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written by Real Deal , April 04, 2011 - 02:59 pm

Hank Mouton has no backbone, guts, fortitude, or class. He is no Scooter Libby and will rat out anyone and everyone to save his own butt.

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written by What in wrong with the "Real Deal"? , April 04, 2011 - 10:14 pm

What clown calls him "Hank" as no one has ever called him Hank, and cannot this person read - - - - read that Mouton was receiving a monthly consulting fee from a Fred Heebe corporation long before being appointed to a non-paying seat on the Wildlife Commission, read that the consulting fee was being paid long before the emergency reopening of the Gentill site, read that every letter Mouton wrote he expressly stated he wrote as a "private citizen," understand that every envioromental expert in the world would concur with Mouton about the state of the Gentilly site and the hazard it posed to Louisiana citizens. It's okay for small minded, mean spirited people to hate others and spew venom as "Real Deal" does and even easier when people like "Real Deal" overlook the facts in forming their opinions. The investigation has a long way to go and involves many people, and in the end the facts will prove Mouton receiving a monthly consulting fee and wanting the Gentilly site closed were not in fact violations of law as there was nothing illegal in receiving the same kind of consultant fees that are routinely paid lobbyists at the city, parish, state, national and internationl level. Okay, already. It's understood that this person who calls himself the "Real Deal" hates Mouton and it's also understood he has no interest in objectivity. And he is so uniformed that he does not even recall that Libby ratted out no one and in fact stupidly fell on his sword to protect a fascist boss, Mr. Cheney.

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written by NORTHSIDIAN SHOTGUN , April 05, 2011 - 06:00 am

You can take Henry off the fire, he's done then Feds don't come for you without having done their homework, ask EWE.

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written by Real Deal , April 05, 2011 - 09:09 am

It should be What "is" wrong, not What "in" wrong. There is nothing wrong with me as I call a spade a spade. My reference to Scooter Libby, would that you were able to read and interpret properly, is that Hank Mouton is no Scooter Libby in that Hank will not fall on his sword but will, instead, rat out anyone and everyone very much unlike Scooter Libby. You, apparently, also did not read the article preceding my initial comments which indicates Hank is a liar, sneak, and con artist. There is no personal hate involved here but for the hate of corrupt con artist public officials, or as in Hank's case, wannabe public official,who profit without working for it and who deceive and shortchange the public as well. You should be ashamed of yourself for your attempted written defense of Hank. Why are you not defending Chris Williams, or Walter Guillory, or any other liars, sneaks, con artists, and thieves masquerading as public officials? Your obvious personal relationship with the con artist in question clouds your assessment. You are small indeed.

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