|
NEW ORLEANS, LA---A former district court judge has been sentenced to federal prison for mail fraud and corruption as the result of taking bribes.
Alan J. Green, former 24th Judicial District Court Judge, was sentenced in federal court by U.S. District Judge Lance M. Africk to 51 months imprisonment. In addition to the prison term, Green was fined $50,000 and required to serve a period of three years of supervised release upon his release from prison.
The ex-judge was convicted by a jury in federal court following trial on one count of mail fraud and deprivation of the honest services of a public official.
Green, the only one of 14 charged and convicted defendants who went to trial, was convicted last June of mail fraud involving his receipt of two $5,000 cash bribe payments which he received from convicted defendant Norman Bowley on behalf of Bail Bonds Unlimited. During the trial, prosecutors elicited the testimony of conduct by Green and others who participated in the corruption of his office on behalf of Bail Bonds Unlimited, establishing that Green’s conduct resulted in not only the deprivation of his honest services to the citizens of Jefferson Parish and the state, but also actual harm to the community and its citizens as a result of serious crimes by individuals Green released on reduced bonds as part of his corrupt scheme to benefit Bail Bonds Unlimited.
Judge Africk provided a nine page “Reasons for Sentence” which the Court read into the record prior to the imposition of Green’s prison term. During the Court’s presentation, U. S. District Judge Africk referenced his careful consideration of the individual characteristics of the offender, the pre-sentence investigation and the offender’s role in the offense. Citing numerous actions by Green and others which were revealed during trial testimony, evidencing his participation in the corruption of Green’s own office, the Court went on to sentence the former judge to four years, three months of imprisonment.
Commenting on the proceedings, U.S. Attorney Jim Letten stated that “Former Judge Green who was sentenced to over four years imprisonment by the United States District Court as a result of his disgraceful and horrific conduct as a sitting judge is the 14th defendant in this important corruption operation to be sentenced to date. More importantly, defendant Green’s conduct was the focus and the linchpin of a large, profoundly corrupt scheme which depended on the sale of Green’s office and integrity as a judge to fund illegal profit by unscrupulous bail bondsmen at the expense of the safety and trust of the citizens of Louisiana.
“No crime is so disgraceful or shameful as the sacrifice of the integrity of a judicial office, or the violation of the sacred trust which citizens put in judges and other public servants in the criminal justice system. Sadly, Mr. Green’s is the embodiment of the kind of corruption which unfortunately has scarred and in many ways harmed our Louisiana judicial system, our governmental functions, and our credibility as a society. 2-23-06
© 2005 North
Country Gazette
|
