Mayor's sister pleads guilty to bribery-related charge

• By JOE GYAN JR.
• Advocate staff writer
• Published: Nov 19, 2009 - UPDATED: 3:40 p.m.

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A sister of Mayor-President Kip Holden pleaded guilty this afternoon to a bribery-related charge in an ongoing federal probe into the local criminal justice system.

Evelyn J. Holden, who worked in the property records section of the East Baton Rouge Parish Clerk of Court Office, admitted in federal court that she conspired with then-senior Baton Rouge City Court prosecutor Flitcher Bell and others to fix criminal and traffic matters in City Court.

Bell, who resigned last month, already has pleaded guilty in the case.

The government alleged that Holden and others “solicited and obtained cash and other things of value from individuals with criminal and traffic matters pending in (Baton Rouge City Court) with the promise that the charges would be dismissed, reduced, or otherwise ‘fixed’.”

In a factual stipulation read in court, prosecutor Corey Amundson said, “On numerous occasions, (Holden) paid a portion of the cash to Bell in exchange for Bell causing the charges to ‘go away’.”

Holden faces up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both.

Holden is the third person in the probe to be charged today — bringing the number of people charged in the ongoing investigation to seven.

Earlier today, prosecutors said Ann Warr, a 15-year veteran of Baton Rouge City Court, accepted cash from then East Baton Rouge Parish Public Defender’s Office investigator Ed “Pooh” James in exchange for creating court documents falsely reflecting the performance of community service by defendants who had paid James.

James, who recently retired, already has pleaded guilty to racketeering in the case.

Prosecutors also allege that Koveria D. Williams of Denham Springs, whom the prosecutors say marketed himself as someone who could “fix” pending criminal and traffic matters in City Court, accepted money from defendants with such matters and then bribed senior City Court prosecutor Flitcher Bell to fix the cases.

Bell, who resigned last month, already has pleaded guilty to conspiracy and bribery charges in the case.

Warr and Williams appeared before U.S. Magistrate Stephen Riedlinger, who advised them of the charges against them. Both defendants will be arraigned this afternoon before U.S. District Court Judge James Brady.

Warr and Williams are charged with conspiracy to use interstate facilities in aid of racketeering.