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A Lafourche Parish Grand Jury has indicted Lafourche Parish Council Member James Bourgeois on a charge of filing false public records.
Bourgeois faces allegations that he falsely declared he was living in Lafourche Parish District 5 when he attempted to qualify for the special election to fill that district’s empty seat in December 2015. Bourgeois won the seat in an April 2016 runoff of that special election to replace John Arnold, who was disqualified from the September 2015 election for overdue election fees. Arnold himself dropped out of that special election and later plead guilty to two counts of criminal mischief related to falsifying his address to qualify for the District 5 race.
Bourgeois did not answer a call from the Times seeking comment on the charges.
District Attorney Cam Morvant’s office announced the charge this evening. The announcement said the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office conducted an “extensive investigation” after receiving a complaint from a voter questioning Bourgeois’s eligibility. Assistant District Attorney Jason Chatagnier presented the case to the grand jury, which chose to indict Bourgeois.
A bench warrant of $500 was issued for Bourgeois.
He also faces a Dec. 28 arraignment for violating the law regarding permanent registration of homestead exemption.
Staff Writer
