New Orleans sheriff indicted on 30 counts just days before term ends

The sheriff of New Orleans was hit on Wednesday with a sweeping 30-count indictment alleging malfeasance and payroll fraud amid an outside investigation into her office that was prompted by a massive jailbreak nearly a year earlier. The indictment against sheriff Susan Hutson, whose duties include operating the New Orleans jail, was brought by Louisiana state attorney general Liz Murrill. It came days before Hutson was set to leave office, bringing a sudden and sharp conclusion to a tenure that began in 2022 with promises of sweeping reform. Hutson’s chief financial officer, Bianka Brown, was also indicted on 20 felony counts. Murrill’s office alleges Hutson’s refusal to follow basic legal requirements and failure to take minimal precautions enabled a 10 May 2025 mass escape that was one of the largest and most brazen jailbreaks in recent US history. The charges against Hutson include 14 counts of malfeasance in office, along with multiple counts of conspiracy, filing false public records, and obstruction of justice. Brown was also indicted on multiple counts of malfeasance in office and obstruction of justice, among other charges. A judge set Hutson’s bond at $300,000 and Brown’s bond at $200,000. Both women have been ordered to surrender their passports and are prohibited from leaving the state of Louisiana . …