Federal authorities today announced a sweeping indictment against former St. Tammany Sheriff Jack Strain.
It accuses Strain of 16 counts ranging from bribery to wire fraud.
The former sheriff faces sentences of five to 20 years in jail for each count.
The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana said Strain violated his "sacred duty to uphold and honor the public trust."
Peter Strasser said, "He took undue advantage of his official position to unjustly enrich himself, his friends and his family at the expense of the taxpayer."
The case involves Strain’s awarding of an inmate work-release program contract to two ranking deputies' children.
Former sheriff’s office captains Clifford Keen and David Hanson Sr. pleaded guilty earlier this year to profiting from a department contract while employed by the sheriff's office.
Prosecutors say Keen and Hanson's kids, Brandy Hanson and Jarret Keen, made more than a million dollars from the program in three years and kicked a portion of the profits back to Strain.
Strain also faces state charges of sex crimes including rape and incest in unrelated cases.
