NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A federal jury has convicted a former New Orleans area justice of the peace for using his position to commit financial fraud.
News outlets report 40-year-old Patrick Hale DeJean was convicted Wednesday of 13 counts of mail fraud and three counts of making false statements to a bank. He’s set to be sentenced May 23.
Prosecutors say between May 2009 and August 2016, Dejean made false statements to improperly borrow money on behalf of Jefferson Parish’s 2nd Justice Court, a small-claims office that resolves civil disputes involving $5,000 or less and other things. They said in a statement that DeJean diverted money from a court bank account for his personal use.
Prosecutors also say he charged litigants fees not allowed by law and signed garnishment orders, among other things.
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