Louisiana Board: Former DA Should Be Permanently Disbarred

A convicted former district attorney should be permanently disbarred according to a recommendation of the Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board

Here, Respondent has violated duties owed to the public, the legal system, and the profession. His actions were intentional. The amount of actual injury caused by his misconduct was great; the reputations of both the legal profession and the District Attorney’s Office were severely tarnished by his misconduct. As explained by the Committee, Respondent used his position as District Attorney, and the funds he had collected as contributions to his campaigns, to host social functions for religious leaders and to make contributions to their budgets. Respondent’s true purpose for holding these functions and making these contributions was, in turn, to receive lucrative client referrals from the ministers that Respondent, his law firm, or their affiliates could profitably handle. Respondent also used his position as District Attorney to collect hundreds of thousands of dollars over twenty years from the Hospital Board and kept what should have been public money for himself. These actions and practices reflect disgracefully upon the legal profession, the institutions of justice, and the public office held by Respondent.

The board quoted from the hearing committee findings based on the jury verdict

(1) Respondent spent at least $100,000 from his campaign fund bank account for personal expenses, for recruiting potential clients for his legal practice, and for various expenses of his son. [Indictment, pages 8 and 39].
(2) Respondent spent $2,635 from his campaign fund bank account for a dinner for “Pentecostal Preachers” for the purpose of recruiting them to refer private civil work to him. [Indictment, pages 14 and 45].
(3) Respondent sent $4,701 from his campaign fund bank account to“First Pentecostal Church” for the purpose of recruiting religious figures to refer private civil work to him.  [Indictment, pages 18 and 49].
(4) On behalf of the District Attorney’s office, and for approximately 20 years, Respondent accepted stipends of $25,000 to $30,000 annually from the St. Tammany Hospital  for legal representation, and he deposited those funds into his personal accounts. He submitted tax documents to the hospital indicating that Forms 1099 were to be sent to the tax identification number of an entity he owned, “Old English Antiques.” [Indictment, pages 24-26, 56-58].
(5) The Court of Appeals noted that the prosecution presented evidence that “Reed was aware that the Hospital Board had repeatedly reaffirmed the D.A.’s office’s [emphasis by the Court] designation as special counsel, and that Reed sent another attorney from the D.A.’s office when he was un able to attend Board meetings. [ODC 3, page 4/74]. The monthly check for this service went into Respondent’s accounts; the Assistant District Attorneys who actually attended were not compensated beyond their standard salary. [Indictment, pages 25 and 57].
(6) The Court of Appeals noted that the prosecution “presented evidence at trial that the same pastor who gave Walter Reed the referral [at a dinner] sought a ‘referral fee’ in the form of a contribution to a church gymnasium, and after his firm declined to provide that fee, Walter Reed ‘donated’ $25,000 of campaign funds for a church gymnasium. [ODC 3, page 3/73]. District Court Judge Fallon also acknowledged this jury finding at sentencing. [Respondent Exhibit 2, page 85].

Nola.com reported on the conviction

Reed had a law enforcement career of more than 40 years. It included stints as a New Orleans police officer, Louisiana attorney general’s office investigator and assistant U.S. attorney before he was elected top prosecutor for Louisiana’s 22nd Judicial District in 1984, when he unseated incumbent Marion Farmer.

Under his leadership, St. Tammany gained a reputation for tough prosecutions, high incarceration rates and long prison sentences. Some referred to the system as “St. Slammany.” Reed embraced the nickname, even giving out awards in that name to prosecutors he thought were especially hard-nosed and aggressive.

(Mike Frisch)