Former Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Secretary Sentenced to 27 Months in Prison for Kickbacks
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Louisiana announced on July 1, 2026, that Jack Montoucet, the former Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF), was sentenced on June 30 to 27 months in federal prison for conspiring to defraud the United States by soliciting and accepting kickbacks in return for awarding a state contract. Montoucet had pleaded guilty on March 31, 2026.
According to court documents, while serving as Secretary, Montoucet steered an LDWF contract to a company called DGL1, LLC in exchange for one-third of the profit, with the other two-thirds divided between his two co-conspirators, Dusty Guidry and Leonard Franques. On January 27, 2021, he caused LDWF to award a no-bid contract to DGL1 to provide online hunter and boater education courses. After the Louisiana Division of Administration's Office of Special Procurement raised concerns about the no-bid award, LDWF put the contract out for public bids, and Montoucet used his position to ensure DGL1 had a competitive advantage; DGL1 won the contract.
On October 8, 2021, Montoucet signed the contract with DGL1 knowing he would receive kickbacks. A month later, he met with Franques and Guidry to discuss concealing the payouts, agreeing that Franques would hold Montoucet's portion until after he left LDWF and pay it to him as a purported signing bonus for consulting work.
The case was investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Keller for the Western District of Louisiana made the announcement.
Source: U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Louisiana
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：位于华盛顿特区的美国国税局总部大楼入口（资料照片），本案由国税局刑事调查局与联邦调查局共同调查。Carol M. Highsmith 摄，公共领域，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: Entrance of the Internal Revenue Service headquarters in Washington, D.C. (file photo); the case was investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation and the FBI. Photo by Carol M. Highsmith, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
