Not Guilty Plea for Former Louisiana Contractor Accused of False Billing

Former Livingston Parish, La., contractor Corey Delahoussaye pleaded not guilty to 81 charges of public record fraud and theft after he allegedly falsified billing invoices related to parish Hurricane Gustav cleanup work.

The Advocate reports Delahoussaye entered his plea Wednesday during his arraignment at the Livingston Parish Courthouse.

The 21st Judicial District Attorney’s Office filed a bill of information in December charging Delahoussaye with 73 counts of filing or maintaining false public records and eight counts of theft.

The bill says the false public records were filed between July 2010 and September 2011.

The bill came about two weeks after a Livingston Parish grand jury, on an 8-2 vote, declined to indict Delahoussaye in the case. One more vote would have led to an indictment.

District Attorney Scott Perrilloux had said his office would formally charge Delahoussaye after the grand jury vote.

Delahoussaye surrendered to the Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office to be formally booked.

Livingston Parish hired Delahoussaye and his firm, C-Del Inc., in October 2009 to help resolve wetlands permit and mitigation issues lingering from the parish’s debris cleanup efforts from Hurricane Gustav in 2008.

Delahoussaye billed the parish for about $2 million, but the then-outgoing Parish Council in terminated its contract in August 2011 with C-Del after council members raised questions about Delahoussaye’s invoices.

Delahoussaye was accused of playing golf, working out at a health club and taking his children to swim meets during time he claimed he was working.

Delahoussaye has denied the claims. He has said his termination was in retaliation for his reporting of alleged improper and illegal cleanup work of three firms he was supposed to monitor.

Delahoussaye also has said a golf club at which he played recorded incorrect tee times and days for him and he worked more than 40 hours per week but billed only 40 at the parish’s request.