U.S. Attorney Kenneth A. Polite announced that ARMER BRIGHT, age 51, of Baton Rouge, a former employee of the Orleans Parish School Board (“OPSB”), was sentenced today after previously pleading guilty to the charge of conspiracy to commit bribery and honest services wire fraud.
U.S. District Judge Susie Morgan sentenced BRIGHT to one year plus one day incarceration, followed by one year of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
According to court documents, BRIGHT admitted that beginning in September 2013 and continuing until January 2015, he and others participated in a conspiracy to commit bribery and honest services wire fraud. BRIGHT further admitted that he initiated a scheme to defraud Orleans Parish and its citizens of honest services through bribery and a kickback scheme, whereby IRA THOMAS, an Orleans Parish School Board member, used his public office and official capacity to provide favorable treatment, including attempting to facilitate the awarding of a contract, that was designed to benefit the business and financial interest of an individual who provided him with a bribe and kickback in the form of cash payment disguised as a campaign contribution.
U.S. Attorney Polite praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in investigating this matter. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Toomey was in charge of the prosecution.