Home New Orleans Press Releases 2009 Greg Meffert, Former New Orleans Chief Technology Officer, Linda Meffert, and Mark St. Pierre Indicted on Federal...
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Greg Meffert, Former New Orleans Chief Technology Officer, Linda Meffert, and Mark St. Pierre Indicted on Federal Bribery, Fraud, Conspiracy, and Related Charges

U.S. Attorney’s Office November 06, 2009
  • Eastern District of Louisiana (504) 680-3000

NEW ORLEANS, LA—GREGORY MEFFERT, age 44, a resident of New Orleans, LINDA MEFFERT age 42, a resident of New Orleans and the wife of defendant GREGORY MEFFERT, and MARK ST. PIERRE, age 46, a resident of Belle Chasse and local business owner, were charged in a 63-count indictment with conspiracy, wire fraud, bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds, money laundering, false statements, and filing false tax returns, announced U.S. Attorney Jim Letten, FBI Special Agent in Charge David Welker, and IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge Michael J. De Palma.

According to today’s federal grand jury indictment, between 2002 and the present, GREGORY MEFFERT, former Chief Technology Officer and Executive Assistant to the Mayor of New Orleans, along with MEFFERT’S wife LINDA, and technology businessman MARK ST. PIERRE, (Imagine Software, NetMethods, Method Investments, and Veracent) all participated in a conspiracy to use MEFFERT’S position with the City to manipulate the procurement process for technology services to provide millions of dollars in city business funds to ST. PIERRE and his companies who illegally made payoffs or kickbacks to GREGORY MEFFERT and his wife LINDA.

Specifically, the indictment alleges that GREGORY MEFFERT changed city procedures in order to ensure that ST. PIERRE’S companies would receive city business without participating in a competitive bid process; also ensuring that prime contractors served only as a conduit for work directed by MEFFERT to ST. PIERRE. Part of the scheme was that MEFFERT failed to disclose MEFFERT’S conflict of interest and payments and benefits from ST. PIERRE to him and his wife.

According to the indictment, ST. PIERRE paid over $860,000 in funds, credit card purchases, and membership dues to and for the benefit of GREGORY and LINDA MEFFERT between 2004 and 2007.

Additionally, according to the indictment, MEFFERT approved and facilitated payments to ST. PIERRE’S companies, through a prime contractor of approximately $4 million between 2004 and 2006, and in or about July 2006, directed the order and purchase of “crime cameras” for the City of New Orleans through a no-bid process, which permitted ST. PIERRE to purchase cameras from an out-of-state manufacturer and resell them to Dell, Inc., which re-sold them to the City for ST. PIERRE to install.

Counts 2 and 3 charge ST. PIERRE (2) and GREGORY and LINDA MEFFERT (3) with a $38,000 Bribery.

Twenty-four counts of Honest Services Wire Fraud (Counts 4 - 27) charge GREGORY MEFFERT, LINDA MEFFERT and MARK ST. PIERRE with approximately $130,000 in ST. PIERRE monthly credit card kickback payments to the MEFFERTS.

The bribery counts (Counts 28 - 43) charge ST. PIERRE with approximately $647,000 in kickback payments and benefits to GREGORY and LINDA MEFFERT.

Sixteen counts of Bribery (Counts 44 - 59) charge GREGORY and LINDA MEFFERT with receiving approximately $647,000 in kickback payments and benefits from ST. PIERRE.

Count 60 charges all three defendants with conspiracy to launder the proceeds of the scheme.

Count 61 charges GREGORY and LINDA MEFFERT with filing false tax returns for 2006 and Count 62 charges GREGORY and LINDA MEFFERT with filing false tax returns for 2007.

Count 63 charges charges GREGORY and LINDA MEFFERT with lying to FBI Special Agents by falsely claiming that LINDA MEFFERT worked for ST. PIERRE in 2004.

FBI Special Agent in Charge David Welker added: “We are here for the seventh time in as many weeks to announce the indictment of a public official, the former Chief Technology Officer of the City of New Orleans, for lining their own pockets at the expense of the citizens of this area. This must be a clear message of the continued commitment of the FBI and its law enforcement partners to root out corruption at all levels to ensure an unobstructed path for recovery for this city and region.”

Michael J. De Palma, Special Agent in Charge of Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation stated: “We are pleased with today's indictments. It is the goal of IRS Criminal Investigation to work with the FBI and United States Attorney’s Office to ensure that those who believe themselves above the law are brought to justice. Special Agents of IRS Criminal Investigation are highly skilled investigators who will work tirelessly to stop those individuals who scheme and conspire with each other to benefit themselves to the detriment of other citizens and their government.”

Speaking to today’s indictment, U.S. Attorney Jim Letten stated: “Once again, we in the U.S. Department of Justice and our partners continue to demonstrate our commitment to strike at the heart of the corruption which has plagued and sometimes severely impaired our public institutions. Stated simply, we will not tolerate self-dealing among those who are entrusted with providing products, services, or support to our public institutions. Today’s indictment, as with the previous charges brought forward against other individuals in our ongoing corruption efforts, is continuing evidence of that very commitment which will continue. We will stay the course we have set in creating and maintaining a very hostile environment for any public officials or individuals who would breach the public trust and prey upon our citizens for illegal profit. I would also like to extend my appreciation to the New Orleans Inspector General’s Office and Inspectors William Bonney and Edward Hernandez for their work; and the Metropolitan Crime Commission for the information they have provided in this investigation.”

U.S. Attorney Letten reiterated that today’s indictment is a charge and that the guilt of each defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew M. Coman and Richard R. Pickens.

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