Financial Feaud: Patrick Hale Dejean Guilty Of 13 Counts Of Mail Fraud And Making False Statements
Jury convicts former Jefferson Parish justice of the peace of financial fraud SHREVEPORT, NEW ORLEANS, LAFAYETTE, La. – U.S. Attorney David C. Joseph announced today that a former Justice of the Peace for the Second Justice Court of Jefferson Parish was convicted by a federal jury in New Orleans for using his position to illegally obtain wage garnishments and loans. The jury returned its guilty verdict after deliberating for approximately three hours, ending a trial that began Tuesday, February 19, 2019. Patrick Hale Dejean, 40, was found guilty this afternoon, of 13 counts of mail fraud and three counts of making false statements to a bank. “Public corruption by our elected officials will not be tolerated in Louisiana,” said Joseph. “In this case, the Justice of the Peace targeted some of the most vulnerable members of our society and stole their hard earned wages, defrauded banks, and abused the trust placed in him by the public. This verdict should serve as a warning to other Louisiana public officials who may intend to use elected office to line their own pockets.” Evidence presented at trial proved that from May 2009 through August 2016, Dejean diverted money from a Second Justice Court bank account for his personal use and made false statements to a bank to improperly borrow money on behalf of the court, which he later spent on himself. During the trial, jurors heard evidence that Dejean systematically abused the Second Justice Court’s garnishment procedures to defraud creditors and debtors with business before the court. As a Justice of the Peace, Dejean judged small claims civil cases for creditors seeking payment from customers who were behind in their payments. If a judgment was obtained by the creditor, Dejean issued garnishment judgments instructing employers of the debtors to send wage garnishments to […]
