Baton Rouge has been indicted on multiple state charges, including bribery and conspiracy to commit theft, for his alleged role in the misuse of money intended for the city’s bus system.
The charges come amid an ongoing public corruption investigation into East Baton Rouge Parish government agencies.
In a Baton Rouge courtroom on Wednesday, a special grand jury indicted Dunn on nine total counts, including public bribery, theft of $25,000 or more, public contractor fraud, malfeasance in office, money laundering and multiple counts of conspiracy related to those alleged crimes.
A source with direct knowledge recently identified Dunn as the unindicted co-conspirator mentioned in the indictments of former Capital Area Transit System chief administrator Jay Colar, earlier this month.
Dunn did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
A warrant has been issued for Dunn’s arrest.
Wednesday’s indictment did not give details about the charges Dunn is facing.
A spokesperson for Attorney General Liz Murrill, whose office brought the charges against Dunn, said “We expect additional indictments based upon this ongoing grand jury investigation.”
Reached for comment on Wednesday, Metro Council Mayor Pro Tempore Brandon Noel said he was saddened to hear the news but will withhold judgment until the case plays out.
“I will not pass judgment on a colleague prior to him having his day in court,” Noel said. “I have faith in our justice system to uncover the facts and root out the truth, whatever that may be. Should wrongdoing be found, I feel that all involved certainly should be held accountable.”
A council member since 2021, Dunn was implicated in charges filed against Colar and Thomas. State records show Dunn and his wife previously owned Supreme Solutions LLC, a company prosecutors say was awarded a contract by CATS — the parish’s public bus agency — and then paid for work investigators could not substantiate.
According to arresting documents for Thomas and Colar, the company was paid $50,000, at least $33,000 of which was converted to checks made out to “C.G." Multiple sources have identified “C.G.” as Core Group LLC, a company registered to Dunn.
The recent indictments come from efforts dating back to 2022 by the FBI and by Murrill to investigate “allegations of public officials who allegedly accepted bribes and misused their positions” in Baton Rouge.
Dunn is also tied to another person recently arrested by the Attorney General’s Office.
In December, developer Bradly Brown was booked on charges including theft, bank fraud, money laundering and falsifying public records. In 2021, Brown was awarded a $6 million deal with the city-parish to build a low-income housing complex in Scotlandville.
Text messages subpoenaed by federal authorities in May 2024 show business dealings between Brown and Dunn.
This is a developing story.
