Tracie Burke | Motion to Quash LLC | Sept. 22, 2023
Louisiana State Representatives are being scrutinized under the False Claims Act for receiving payments from over 100 entities that received over $200 million dollars in taxpayer backed Disaster Assistance, according to an analysis of federal government data by Motion to Quash LLC.
The investigation of loan fraud by PPP loan recipients and Louisiana lawmakers is alarming. Businesses issued large political donations after receiving taxpayer backed pandemic loans, raising concerns about the legitimacy of their need for assistance. “Loan recipients who issued campaign contributions after receiving their awards should be required to repay the loans,” a spokesperson for the agency said. “Fraud schemes such as this are the costliest for the taxpayers.”
Motion to Quash is a powerful representation of the fight against corruption in Jefferson Parish, with the State Representative Anti Corruption Scorecard serving as a reminder of the importance of transparency and honesty in our political system. The scorecards are sufficient to provide accurate, reliable and sound judgment of campaign finance abuse, particularly for those interested in the 2023 Elections and the stand against corruption.
Campaign finance reports were obtained from the Louisiana Ethics Board website. Disaster Relief Profiles were found at usaspending.gov.
Click the name to view each candidate’s folder.
| Joseph Orgeron | C | 73% |
| John Illg | D | 67% |
| Debbie Villio | D | 60% |
| Polly Thomas | D | 67% |
| Laurie Schlegel | B- | 80% |
| Kyle Green Jr | B+ | 87% |
| Reginald Jasmin | A+ | 100% |
| Timothy Kerner | F | 47% |
| Andrew Bennett | A+ | 100% |
| Vincent Cox III | F | 47% |
| Andrea Manuel | A+ | 100% |
| Rodney Lyons Sr | D | 63% |
| Trent Mackey Jr. | A+ | 100% |
| Michael Sigur | D | 67% |
| Joseph Stagni | D | 67% |
| Stephanie Hilferty | C | 73% |
| Charles Marsala | A+ | 100% |
| Jacob Braud | F | 53% |
| Joanna Leopold | D | 67% |
| Mack Cormier | D | 60% |
| Donald Vallee | A+ | 97% |
SCORE DISTRIBUTION OVERVIEW
Of the 21 candidates for State Representative on the Jefferson Parish sample ballot, 6 scored A+ (28.6%), 1 scored B+ (4.8%), 1 scored B- (4.8%), 2 scored C (9.5%), 8 scored D (38.1%), and 3 scored F (14.3%)
Organizational Conflicts of Interest (OCI)
From the time period 2020 to the present, candidates received a grand total of contributions over $1.4 million dollars including a sum of over $600,000 from pharmaceuticals, gaming interests, government contractors, and PPP disaster recipients. By far the most frequent recipient is Timothy Kerner Sr.
Methodology
For consistency, the total scores were based on these three principles:
- Campaign contributions issued (5 points)
- Campaign contributions received (5 points)
- Disclosures/conflicts of interest (5 points)
Only when candidates scored 15 for the whole package did they score 100 percent.
Campaigns are dynamic. We welcome your feedback. If you see a candidate’s position has changed, send us an email to info@motiontoquash.org with the new information.
