Auditor Releases Findings On New Orleans Traffic Court

May 14, 2012

Despite a successful LPDB lawsuit against most of the criminal bench in New Orleans, extensive outreach to all stakeholders about the public defender funding crisis, the 2011 release of a report detailing problematic practices and improper use of funds by the Office of the Inspector General, and the suspension of both the conflict and assigned capital counsel for indigent defendants in Orleans due to budget shortfalls, a report released today by LaPorte CPAs and Business Advisors finds that New Orleans Traffic Court continues to retain significant funds dictated by state law to be remitted to the local public defender office.

Auditors evaluated two months of Traffic Court tickets and collections (February and June 2011) by reviewing all paper tickets and both sets of accounting books maintained by Traffic Court. The auditor found that in February 2011, Traffic Court failed to remit $37,653 of collected fees to the public defender office. In June 2011, Traffic Court improperly withheld $45,716 from the public defender office. Traffic Court was given an opportunity to review these findings and concedes that the Orleans Public Defenders is owed additional funds.

You can read the full LPDB press statement on this report HERE