Ex-Parish Officials in Louisiana Face Ethics Charges Tied to Insurance

Louisiana officials have filed ethics charges against former Jefferson Parish President Aaron Broussard and his former top administrator.

The Times-Picayune reported that most of charges filed by the state ethics board are tied to an agreement between a private insurance agency owned by former administrator Tim Whitmer and his wife, Dawn, and the board of a parish hospital.

At the time, both Broussard and Whitmer held their government posts. Those charges also involve Dawn Whitmer.

The Whitmers’ insurance agency, Lagniappe Industries, had a deal to sell and manage voluntary insurance policies for employees at West Jefferson Medical Center. Lagniappe also faces 26 ethics charges.

In March 2010, Jefferson Parish sent letters to hundreds of companies that make money on community contracts whether they also buy insurance from the Whitmers’ agency. The letters to 404 companies were part of of several investigations of Whitmer’s activities and Broussard’s administration.

Broussard resigned as parish president in January 2010 and Whitmer retired from his post as the parish’s chief administrative officer the following February as a result of federal investigations into deals between Whitmer’s insurance brokerage and parish contractors.