The ¶¶Òõh Attorney General's office has hired a top-flight accounting firm, records show, as it continues to pursue separate investigations into alleged government and malfeasance in office by former .
The $150,000 contract with London-based Ernst and Young includes few details, but sources familiar with the investigation said the firm could help prosecutors charge more officials or add more counts in the two cases.
Obtained via records request, the contract says the firm’s investigators will help probe “funding sources, contractual arrangements, and relationships with public sector entities†for the Attorney General Liz Murrill’s office.
Sources said the firm’s current investigative work in Baton Rouge is related to public officials who have not yet been implicated in the AG’s corruption probe.
The contract went into effect at the end of March, is active through the end of 2026 and states the firm will collect and review “contracts, agreements, financial records, correspondence†for state investigators, as well as develop timelines of transactions and relevant events.
Contracted investigators will also conduct forensic analysis of electronic data and probe financial transactions involving “specific counterparties or programs identified by the Department of Justice.â€
One of the world’s “Big Four†accounting firms, Ernst and Young has offices in numerous countries and offers a wide range of other professional services. The leader of its investigations team is former deputy FBI director Jeffrey Sallet.
Public corruption probes
Though months have passed since an indictment has come down, the state’s special grand jury in Baton Rouge continues to hear evidence, with several Metro Council members and other current or former city-parish officials recently appearing to testify.
The last official to be charged was Courtney Scott, a top aide to former Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome. Scott was indicted on Feb. 25.
Scott is accused of using her influence and oversight to award government contracts to an associate. Prosecutors say Scott received nearly $200,000 in kickbacks from contractor Veronica Mathis — who was also indicted — that she used to help pay off her mortgage and credit card debt.
The investigation has also yielded an indictment of sitting Metro Council member Cleve Dunn Jr. Like Scott, Dunn was indicted on counts of conspiracy, bribery, contract fraud, money laundering and more.
State officials say Dunn funneled a transit contract to an associate with the help of then-Capital Area Transit System administrator Pearlina Thomas, who was also indicted. According to a warrant for Dunn’s arrest, the councilman was then paid more than 90% of the funds the transit system paid to the contractor.
Broome was subpoenaed to testify before the grand jury but has not yet done so.
In April, a grand jury indicted Hutson — New Orleans’ sheriff from 2022 to 2026 — on 30 counts including malfeasance, maintaining false public records and conspiracy charges.
The indictment stems from the May 2025 escape of 10 inmates from the Orleans Justice Center. Murrill’s prosecutors say Hutson failed to comply with legal requirements and safeguards regarding the jail, which contributed to the jailbreak.
It wasn’t until October 2025 that all escapees were found and brought back to the jail.
The former sheriff has denied any wrongdoing.
Hutson’s Chief Financial Officer, Bianka Brown, was also indicted on 20 felony counts.