Star Service Inc. owner says Henry Mouton's claim that he owned shares of an air conditioning and heating company is a lie. The owner of Star Service Inc., an air conditioning and heating company Henry Mouton claimed he sold shares of before he was indicted on federal corruption charges, says Mouton never owned any shares in the company.
Mouton, a Lafayette resident and former state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries commissioner who has been charged with conspiracy, receiving illegal payoffs and making false statements to federal agents, told two Independent Weekly staff members and others in the Lafayette area that he sold his shares of an air conditioning and heating company and works as a consultant.
It was unclear whether the company Mouton claimed he had sold shares of was Star Service, the same company for which Mouton lobbied to land a $948,000 contract with the Jefferson Parish School Board in 2000, as reported in The Times-Picayune.
Michael Miller of Baton Rouge, owner of Star Service Inc., says Mouton was employed by the company in sales until the summer of 2010, but never owned any part of the company.
Miller says he is unaware of any other air conditioning and heating companies Mouton may have owned an interest in and also says he did not believe Mouton was working for anyone else while he was employed with Star Service.
"It really disturbs me that he's going around saying this," Miller says.
Mouton is accused of using his position as a Wildlife and Fisheries commissioner to lobby against the old Gentilly Landfill in New Orleans that reopened after Hurricane Katrina - and receiving $463,970 from a rival landfill owner in return.
For more on Henry Mouton and the charges he is facing, check out The Independent Weekly's news story "Oh Henry."