It’s not everyday that the feds say the timing of the arrest was based on concerns that the person might harm themselves. Even the judge’s attorney found that “ironic”.
By Chris Kirkham
The New Orleans Times-Picayune
NEW ORLEANS –– Friday’s FBI arrest of St. Bernard Parish District Judge Wayne G. Cresap came after concerns that the judge might harm himself if agents didn’t make a move, U.S. Attorney Jim Letten said Monday.
Letten would not go into detail about how seriously Cresap might have injured himself or how agents learned about the risk, but he said “the timing of the arrest was precipitated in some significant measure by our concerns.”
Cresap was released Monday evening from Orleans Parish Prison after Letten’s office and Cresap’s attorney agreed he was no longer a danger to himself, three days after he was arrested on wire fraud charges stemming from an alleged judicial corruption scheme.
U.S. District Judge Lance Africk released Cresap on a $100,000 signature bond after a medical examination, meaning the judge did not have to put up any money, authorities said. Cresap’s attorney, Pat Fanning, said “it did seem a little ironic” that the FBI and the U.S. attorney’s office were primarily concerned about Cresap’s mental health.
