A special grand jury indicted Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson on multiple criminal charges. The chief financial officer of the sheriff's office also faces charges.
Both are set to appear in court tomorrow.
The indictments, which come after an investigation led by Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill's office in response to last year's escape of ten inmates from the city's lockup, allege malfeasance and payroll fraud.
Murrill said in a statement that Hutson faces 30 felony counts and the sheriff's Chief Financial Officer, Bianka Brown, faces 20 felony counts.
"Nearly a year ago, I made a commitment to the people of New Orleans and the people of our state that those responsible for the Orleans Parish Prison break would be held accountable," said Murrill. "While Sheriff Hutson did not personally open the doors of the jail for the escapees, her refusal to comply with basic legal requirements and to take even minimal precautions in the discharge of her duties directly contributed to and enabled the escape."
Hutson won election in 2022, campaigning on a platform of reforming the operation of the jail, which is under a federal consent decree. But her term has been marred by controversy about proper staffing, money spent on hotel rooms for Mardi Gras, and the May 2025 jail break that sent ten inmates on the lam, with the manhunts for some of them lasting weeks to months.
It was enough for voters to elect former New Orleans Police interim superintendent Michelle Woodfork to the job last October.
"As my prosecutors move forward with this case, I continue to have productive conversations with Sheriff-elect Michelle Woodfork on how to improve operations, secure the facility, and build in basic financial oversight that complies with state law," Murrill said. "I am confident in her commitment to implement the difficult changes needed to reform the jail."
Woodfork is set to be sworn in as the new sheriff on Monday.
The attorney general's office released the following list of charges:
SUSAN HUTSON, CURRENT ORLEANS PARISH SHERIFF, WAS INDICTED ON:
COUNTS 1-14: MALFEASANCE IN OFFICE
COUNTS 15-18: CONSPIRACY TO COMMIT MALFEASANCE IN OFFICE
COUNTS 19-21: FILING OR MAINTAINING FALSE PUBLIC RECORDS
COUNTS 23-24: CONSPIRACY TO COMMIT FILING OR MAINTAINING FALSE PUBLIC RECORDS
COUNTS 25-27: OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE
COUNTS 28-30: CONSPIRACY TO COMMIT OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE
TOTAL = SHERIFF SUSAN HUTSON HAS BEEN INDICTED ON 30 COUNTS
THE JUDGE SET A TOTAL BOND FOR HUTSON AT $300,000
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BIANKA BROWN - CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER OF THE ORLEANS PARISH SHERIFF'S OFFICE WAS INDICTED ON:
COUNTS 31-34: MALFEASANCE IN OFFICE
COUNTS 35-38: CONSPIRACY TO COMMIT MALFEASANCE IN OFFICE
COUNTS 39-41: FILING OR MAINTAINING FALSE PUBLIC RECORDS
COUNTS 42-44: CONSPIRACY TO COMMIT FILING OR MAINTAINING FALSE PUBLIC RECORDS
COUNTS 45-47: OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE
COUNTS 48-50: CONSPIRACY TO COMMIT OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE
TOTAL = CFO BIANKA BROWN HAS BEEN INDICTED ON 20 COUNTS
JUDGE SET A TOTAL BOND FOR BROWN AT $200,000
