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

Susan Hutson accused of malfeasance and other crimes that enabled 2025 mass escape from Louisiana jail 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 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 Liz Murrill, the Louisiana state attorney general.. 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 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 obstr