3rd official admits guilt

• By JOE GYAN JR.
• Advocate staff writer
• Published: Nov 3, 2009 - Page: 1B

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The longtime chief investigator for the local Public Defender’s Office admitted Monday to bribing a senior city prosecutor and other court officials to fix criminal and traffic cases in City Court and state District Court in Baton Rouge.

Edward C. “Pooh’’ James, who retired Friday after spending 35 years with the East Baton Rouge Parish Public Defender’s Office, pleaded guilty in federal court to racketeering and conspiracy charges that allege both bribery and extortion.

The 65-year-old James’ guilty plea is the third in a federal investigation into alleged corruption in the parish’s criminal court system.

Former senior city prosecutor Flitcher R. Bell, who resigned Thursday, and former police Sgt. Darrell Johnson, who retired Oct. 23, admitted Friday in federal court that they took bribes to dismiss criminal charges in City Court.

James, Bell and Johnson are cooperating with federal authorities, U.S. Attorney David Dugas said.

A second former officer, Leonard P. Jackson, resigned from the Police Department Oct. 23 and was charged Friday by prosecutors with bribery and is due in federal court Wednesday.

James faces a maximum possible sentence of 25 years in prison — up to 20 years for racketeering and up to five years for conspiracy — and $500,000 in fines.

U.S. District Judge James Brady ordered a presentence report, which is information gathered for the judge before sentencing.

Brady did not set a sentencing date for James.

Dugas said Monday that charges can be expected against others in the ongoing two-year-old probe dubbed Operation Illegal Motion.

In a bill of information filed Thursday and unsealed Monday, federal prosecutors allege James’ illegal actions stretched from 2006 until last month when Dugas said James was approached by federal agents.

Dugas said James initially was uncooperative, but after James hired an attorney and federal authorities briefed the attorney, James agreed to plead guilty and cooperate.

Prosecutors painted James, who at that time was referred to in court documents only as E.J., as “a leader’’ of the scheme.