ALEXANDRIA, La. (AP) - A federal judge has denied a request to suppress evidence in the criminal case against a former Louisiana prison warden and his ex-wife.
Former warden Nate Cain and his former spouse Tonia Cain were indicted last year on charges that they used a state credit card to make $152,000 in purchases for themselves.
U.S. District Judge Dee Drell recently ruled that they couldn’t contest the Louisiana Office of the Inspector General’s search of their former home in 2016.
The couple had asked Drell in February to throw out the evidence against them that had been obtained through a search warrant obtained by the inspector general’s office, claiming the agency does not have the legal authority to execute search warrants.
Their lawyer John McLindon said they will wait to see what happens with the charges against his clients before they decide whether to appeal.
The ruling allows the case to progress toward trial, The Advocate reported .
Louisiana Inspector General Stephen Street was pleased with the ruling.
“This motion did not have a shred of legal or factual merit and couldn’t even get past a basic threshold of standing,” Street said. “We remain confident in OIG’s legal authority and the professional manner in which the investigation was conducted.”
The former couple was indicted amid an investigation into misuse of resources in Louisiana’s correctional system.
Prosecutors alleged that they lied about items being bought for personal use, divided up purchases to stay below the $5,000 daily limit that required approval by higher-ups, and accompanied other employees with state purchasing cards to stores or gave them shopping lists.
The indictment listed purchases at tire stores in Alexandria and Bunkie, a Tractor Supply in Mansura, Wal-Marts in Alexandria, Pineville and Mansura, a furniture store in Hessmer, a lumber yard in Mansura and an electrical supplier in Alexandria.
Nate Cain resigned as warden of the Avoyelles Correctional Center in 2016. He’s the son of Burl Cain, the longtime warden of the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola.
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Information from: The Advocate, http://theadvocate.com
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