Home New Orleans Press Releases 2010 Defendant Sentenced for Witness Tampering
Info
This is archived material from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) website. It may contain outdated information and links may no longer function.

Defendant Sentenced for Witness Tampering

U.S. Attorney’s Office May 12, 2010
  • Middle District of Louisiana (225) 389-0443

BATON ROUGE, LA—United States Attorney Stan Lemelle announced today that JAMES H. LESLIE, age 58, a resident of Marthaville, Louisiana, and former Director of Louisiana Prison Enterprises, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Frank J. Polozola to serve five months imprisonment and five months home incarceration for witness tampering. The Court also ordered LESLIE to pay a fine of $10,000.

LESLIE previously pled guilty to the charge. As part of the guilty plea proceeding, LESLIE admitted in open court that, while he was Director of Prison Enterprises, he warned Dan Klein, the state contractor for the Angola Prison Rodeo, that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had asked him to have a conversation with Klein while wearing a recording device. At the time, the FBI was investigating allegations related to the operation of the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola. During the investigation, the FBI learned that, in October 2004 and January 2005, LESLIE provided a fertilizer and seed mixture to Klein, free of charge, through a Prison Enterprises supplier. LESLIE admitted in open court that he told Klein to withhold from the FBI information concerning Klein’s receipt of the free fertilizer and seed.

The investigation of the case was handled by the FBI and the Louisiana Office of Inspector General. The matter was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patricia Jones.

This content has been reproduced from its original source.