Jefferson Parish Building Inspector Charged With Using Facility of Interstate Commerce to Promote Illegal Activity

According to the bill of information, between at least January 2014, and August 18, 2017, MCCLINTON, a building inspector for the Jefferson Parish (Louisiana) Department of Inspection and Code Enforcement, used the Internet to promote, manage, establish, carry on, and facilitate the promotion, management, establishment, and carrying on of an unlawful activity, that is, public bribery, in violation of Title 14, Louisiana Revised Statutes, Section 118, and thereafter performed and attempted to perform an act to promote, manage, establish, carry on, and facilitate the promotion, management, establishment, and carrying on of such unlawful activity.  Specifically, MCCLINTON, solicited and accepted bribe money from individuals seeking inspection reports in exchange for issuing either (1) a report reflecting that no zoning violation had occurred when, in fact, one had occurred or (2) an inspection report reflecting that MCCLINTON had inspected a particular building and that the building complied with parish building code regulations MCCLINTON when, in fact, MCCLINTON had not actually inspected the building.

If convicted, MCCLINTON faces a maximum term of five (5) years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000.00, up to three (3) years of supervised release after imprisonment, and a mandatory $100 special assessment.

U. S. Attorney Strasser reiterated that a bill of information is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

U.S. Attorney Strasser praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in investigating this matter, with the assistance of the Jefferson Parish Office of the Inspector General.  Assistant United States Attorney Jordan Ginsberg, supervisor of the Public Corruption Unit, is in charge of the prosecution.