Louisiana Attorney General Buddy Caldwell's office Thursday announced it has concluded "that no state charges are warranted" stemming from an investigative report on District Attorney Mike Harson's office related to the DUI bribery scheme that has already netted five federal guilty pleas including by two D.A. office staff members. The report was submitted by former Assistant District Attorney Keith Stutes.
On Thursday, Caldwell's office released the following:
The Louisiana Attorney General's Office has concluded its inquiry... We find that no state charges are warranted.
We are aware that there is an ongoing federal investigation and that the U.S. Attorney's Office is pursuing the criminal conduct which took place in this matter. Therefore, we consider our file to be closed.
The sentencing of most of those who pleaded guilty, including Harson's longtime office administrator Barna Haynes and an assistant district attorney, has been delayed until December. Four of the five are asking that their sentencing take place after the federal trial of the scheme's alleged mastermind, local private investigator Robert Williamson. His trial date has not been set.
Stutes, a likely candidate for Harson's job in 2014, released the following statement:
As the Attorney General's statement noted, there is an ongoing federal investigation and the U.S. Attorney's Office is pursuing the criminal conduct that took place in this matter. As a result, it would be inappropriate for me to comment at this time.