Former Orleans Parish Deputy John P. Sens Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Bribery
| U.S. Attorney’s Office March 13, 2013 |
John P. Sens, 52, a resident of New Orleans, Louisiana, pled guilty today before U.S. District Judge Kurt D. Engelhardt to conspiracy to commit bribery, announced U.S. Attorney Dana J. Boente.
According to the factual basis, Sens, the former director of purchasing at the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office (OPSO), began receiving things of value from two contractors, identified as Businessman A and Businessman B, in exchange for a rigged bidding system employed to steer OPSO work to the two contractors. In particular, from 2007 through 2011, Businessman A and Businessman B would submit bids for OPSO work in the names of their respective companies but, with the knowledge and assistance of, among others, Sens would also submit phony or fake bids for these same projects in the names of other local companies in an effort to give the appearance of a competitive bidding process. In many cases, the phony bids would intentionally be higher than the bids from Businessman A or Businessman B and, consequently, Sens would award the work to Businessman A or Businessman B.
According to court documents, in exchange for this rigged bidding process, Sens received various things of value from Businessman A and Businessman B. From 2007 through 2011, Sens received approximately $30,000 in cash from Businessman A, as well as the construction of a pool at a residence owned by Sens, at no cost to him. Similarly, during this same period of time, Businessman B paid for the purchase, framing, and matting of several “Blue Dog” paintings for Sens.
Sens faces a maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment, three years’ supervised release, a $250,000 fine, and a $100 special assessment. Sentencing has been scheduled for June 12, 2013.
U.S. Attorney Boente, as well as the investigative and prosecution team, offer their thanks to the Metropolitan Crime Commission for providing valuable assistance in this case.
The case was investigated by special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matt Chester and Jon Maestri.