United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced today
that all five defendants were sentenced for their roles in a pay-for-plea scheme that
garnered favorable treatment for defendants charged with various state crimes.

Along with Barna D. Haynes (see story below), U.S. District Judge Elizabeth E. Foote also sentenced the four other defendants involved.

The defendants and their sentences are listed below.

  • Greg Williams, 46, Lafayette; conspiracy to commit bribery; 2 years probation and six months home confinement.
  • Sandra Degeteyer, 63, Lafayette; conspiracy to commit bribery; 2 years probation and six months home confinement.
  • Denease Curry, 49, Broussard; misprision of a felony for failure to report bribes; 2 years, 200 hours of community service.
  • Elaine Crump, 61, Lafayette; misprision of a felony for failure to report bribes; 2 years, 200 hours of community service.

Haynes, Curry and Williams were former employees of the district attorney's office, while Degeteyer and Crump worked for Acadiana Outreach.

LAFAYETTE, La. (AP) - The longtime secretary to former Lafayette Parish District Attorney Mike Harson has been sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for her role in a yearslong bribery scheme that involved DWI offenders.

The Advocate reports (http://bit.ly/1Tqia8W) 61-year-old Barna D. Haynes, who pleaded guilty in 2013, was ordered Friday to report to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons on Aug. 20.

Haynes was a central figure in a federal investigation that resulted in guilty pleas from other members of the 15th District Attorney's Office and the DWI scheme leader, former private investigator Robert Williamson.

Harson was not identified as a target of the investigation, but federal prosecutors wrote in court filings that the scheme was carried out without Harson's knowledge because of a "lack of oversight and safeguards."

Information from: The Advocate, http://theadvocate.com

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