Parker Pleads Guilty to Misprision of a Felony

NEW ORLEANS—KAREN PARKER a/k/a KAREN PARKER-BROUSSARD (“PARKER”), age 46, a resident of Jefferson Parish, pled guilty today in front of Senior U.S. District Judge Hayden Head to one count of misprision of a felony, announced U.S. Attorney Jim Letten.

On December 2, 2011, PARKER, former Jefferson Parish President AARON F. BROUSSARD and THOMAS G. WILKINSON were charged in a 33-count indictment by a federal grand jury with conspiracy, wire fraud, and theft concerning programs receiving federal funds. On January 13, 2012, PARKER was charged in a superseding bill of information with one count of misprision of a felony.

According to court documents, in October 2003, former Jefferson Parish President and co-defendant BROUSSARD met with co-defendant and former Jefferson Parish Attorney WILKINSON, along with two other high-ranking Jefferson Parish officials, to discuss PARKER’s anticipated employment in the BROUSSARD administration. According to the factual basis, BROUSSARD specifically wanted other Parish officials to hire PARKER because he knew that once he took over the position of Parish President he could not hire PARKER and there would be increased scrutiny as a result of the romantic relationship between BROUSSARD and PARKER. It was eventually decided that PARKER would be hired as a “paralegal supervisor” under the purview of the Parish Attorney’s Office, even though all parties to that decision, including co-defendants BROUSSARD and WILKINSON knew that PARKER was not qualified, trained, or certified as a paralegal supervisor.

According to the factual basis, from approximately 2003 through her dismissal in 2010, PARKER was paid a salary as a paralegal supervisor, even though she was not qualified, trained, or certified as a paralegal supervisor. Indeed, according to court records, PARKER did no work as a paralegal supervisor and, in fact, the little work she did perform was not paralegal work at all. According to court records, BROUSSARD and WILKINSON were aware that PARKER did no work as a paralegal supervisor. PARKER’s salary and her raises were approved and known by WILKINSON who, in turn, was retained by BROUSSARD as the Jefferson Parish Attorney. BROUSSARD also approved of substantial pay raises, from 2004 through 2009, for WILKINSON, the Parish Attorney. According to the factual basis, PARKER committed a misprision of a felony by stealing or committing theft from Jefferson Parish by continuing to accept her salary (because she did not perform any paralegal work) and not reporting such crime to the authorities.

Finally, according to court records, BROUSSARD, the former Jefferson Parish President, used his public office for private gain by receiving monies, totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars from various vendors, all of whom were simultaneously doing business with Jefferson Parish.

PARKER faces a maximum penalty of not more than three years in prison, followed by one year of supervised release, and a $250,000.00 fine. Sentencing has been scheduled for July 27, 2012 at 1:15 p.m.

The case was investigated by agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigations.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian Klebba and Matt Chester.