Accusations are already being made after a last-minute entry into the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's race.
John Fortunato, a former JPSO spokesman, qualified to run for sheriff Thursday, setting up a rematch of the March 2018 special election between him and current sheriff, Joe Lopinto.
According to WWL-TV Political Analyst Clancy DuBos, Lopinto says a Fortunato representative allegedly reached out to him and asked for a favor in return for Fortunato not getting into the race.
Lopinto says the representative told him that Fortunato would not enter the race if he agreed to back Fortunato as the new Causeway Bridge Police Chief.
Lopinto said he refused and forwarded the information to the FBI and state attorney general’s office.
An Attorney General's Office spokesperson confirmed that Lopinto contacted them, but did not say what they were contacted about.
Fortunato responded to Loptino's accusations, saying that they are completely false.
"You know how desperate and scared Joe Lopinto is to come up with a story like that. I don’t know whether to laugh at him or cry for him," Fortunato said. "But here is what I do know. Since he has been sheriff, crime has risen across the parish. Things are so bad; he can’t even protect his prisoners. That’s why we need a professional law enforcement officer, not a politician as our sheriff. And, that is why I am running for sheriff. Joe is going to learn the real reason why I am running when I lay it all out at the news conference in the coming days."
Dubos said, if charges are made against Fortunato for his actions, they could include possible solicitation, bribery or wire fraud accusations.
The bad blood between Fortunato and Lopinto goes back to the 2018 special election after former Sheriff Newell Normand stepped down.
Lopinto won with 52% of the vote against Fortunato’s 48%.
Fortunato spent nearly 50 years in the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office before stepping down to run for sheriff.
However, Normand named Lopinto his interim replacement.
Lopinto formerly served as a JPSO deputy before leaving to earn a law degree and serve as a state representative. Normand lured him back to the agency to be its in-house attorney and soon after promoted Lopinto to chief deputy.