We got a strange press release in our inbox today from Attorney General Jeff Landry’s office. Landry was announcing the arrest of a former utility clerk in the town of Jonesville for stealing taxpayer money.

Leigh Ann Ingram was arrested today after a joint investigation by the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation and the Louisiana  Legislative Auditor’s office. She was booked into the Catahoula Parish jail.

Here’s some of the release:

“In order to make our State an even better place, we must end Louisiana’s checkered past of public corruption and abuse of government offices,” said Attorney General Jeff Landry. “This arrest highlights our commitment to investigate, apprehend, and prosecute those who defraud our State and its people. And our office will keep working with local, state, and federal partners to hold government officials accountable.”

Leigh Ann Ingram – a former utility clerk for the Town of Jonesville – was arrested on charges of theft (over $25,000), malfeasance in office, and computer fraud. Ingram is accused of diverting over $25,000 worth of utility payments and falsifying computer records to avoid getting caught. She allegedly received cash from customers paying their electricity bills and diverted the funds for personal use.

Based on the comparison of witness statements, cash receipts, time sheets, computer log reports, and other evidence – investigators from General Landry’s Louisiana Bureau of Investigation and the Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s Office determined that Ingram altered computer records on times and dates in which she was the only clerk in attendance.  

Louisiana attorney generals are known for participating in political corruption, not fighting it. The last AG even had a “Buddy system” that awarded state contracts to cronies who donated to Buddy Caldwell’s campaigns. Jeff Landry has moved quickly to end that.

An attorney general that protects the people of Louisiana from corrupt public officials, now that’s a novel idea.