LAFAYETTE, La. — Former Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Jack Montoucet, 78, was sentenced June 30 to 27 months in federal prison for conspiring to defraud the United States by soliciting and accepting kickbacks in return for awarding a state contract. Montoucet previously pled guilty March 31.
According to court documents, Montoucet, while secretary of the LDWF, steered an LDWF contract to a company called DGL1, LLC, in exchange for one-third of the profit, with the other two-thirds divided between Montoucet’s two co-conspirators, Dusty Guidry and Leonard Franques. On Jan. 27, 2021, Montoucet caused LDWF to award a no-bid contract to DGL1 to provide online hunter and boater education courses. After the Louisiana Division of Administration, Office of Special Procurement raised concerns about the no-bid contract, the LDWF put out for public bids a contract to provide these educational classes. Montoucet used his position with LDWF to ensure DGL1 had a competitive advantage in the bidding process and DGL1 was awarded the contract.
On Oct. 8, 2021, Montoucet, acting as secretary, signed a contract with DGL1 to provide the hunter and boater classes in the knowledge that he would receive kickbacks. A month later, Montoucet met with Franques and Guidry to discuss how to conceal the payouts, agreeing that Franques would hold Montoucet’s portion until after he departed LDWF and pay it to him as a purported “signing bonus” for consulting work.
U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Keller for the Western District of Louisiana made the announcement.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Myers P. Namie, Lauren L. Nickel, and LaDonte A. Murphy, along with Trial Attorney Alex Dempsey of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section of the Department of Justice, with assistance from Legal Assistant Christy Angelle.
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