New Orleans Sheriff Susan Hutson and her chief financial officer, Bianka Brown, were charged on Wednesday with criminal malfeasance, obstruction of justice, and other charges related to the escape of 10 inmates from the Orleans Parish Justice Center in May 2025. The indictment, returned by a special grand jury convened to investigate the breakout, includes 30 felony counts against Hutson and 20 counts against Brown, according to Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill.
Key Takeaways
New Orleans Sheriff Susan Hutson and her chief financial officer were charged with criminal malfeasance, obstruction of justice, and other charges related to last year's escape of 10 inmates from the Orleans Parish Justice Center. The indictment comes just days before Hutson is set to leave office.
- New Orleans Sheriff Susan Hutson and CFO Bianka Brown face multiple felony counts
- Charges stem from a May 2025 jailbreak involving 10 inmates
- Hutson's bond set at $300,000; Brown's at $200,000
- Both ordered to surrender passports and barred from leaving Louisiana
The charges stem from one of the biggest jailbreaks in U.S. history, where inmates escaped by tearing a sink and toilet off a cell wall and fleeing through the resulting hole. All 10 escapees were ultimately recaptured. The judge presiding over the case set bond at $300,000 for Hutson and $200,000 for Brown. Both were ordered to surrender their passports and are barred from leaving the state.
The indictment comes just days before Sheriff-elect Michelle Woodfork is scheduled to be sworn in early next month to succeed Hutson. According to Reuters, there was no immediate response to the indictment from the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office, and legal representatives for Hutson and Brown were not immediately known. The Guardian reported that state auditors recently flagged nearly $260,000 in suspicious overpayments to deputies for security details.
Hutson was elected sheriff of Orleans Parish in December 2021, becoming the first African-American woman to serve as a sheriff in Louisiana and the first woman ever to serve as sheriff in New Orleans. Her tenure has been marred by controversy, including staffing scandals and allegations of overspending on hotel rooms for top brass during Mardi Gras celebrations.
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