NEW IBERIA, LA – On Tuesday, May 28, an Iberia Parish jury convicted 63-year-old Michael Thibodeaux, of 14 felonies related to his position as the elected Iberia Parish Clerk of Court.
Thibodeaux’s convictions stem from a legislative audit and LSP investigation into the Iberia Parish Clerk of Court’s office.
The investigation revealed multiple instances of fraudulent and deceitful conduct done at the direction of the Thibodeaux.
The investigation revealed that Thibodeaux transferred fees that should have been returned to litigants into his office’s salary fund.
Officials say he concealed the transfers by creating false entries in his accounting system and creating duplicate checks payable to his office.
The investigation also revealed that Thibodeaux concealed a box of cash containing public monies in the closet of his office and, by the close of the investigation, over $5,000 of public funds were unaccounted for.
Thibodeaux also used “rewards points” from a public credit card to pay for a personal vacation.
Back in June of 2018, a grand jury indicted the defendant for one count of racketeering, two counts of theft over $25,000, one count of theft over $5,000 but less than $25,000; seven counts of malfeasance in office, two counts of filing or maintaining false public records, and one count of perjury.
The charge of perjury stems from false statements made by the defendant in his testimony to the grand jury.
After a multi-day trial, Thibodeaux was convicted of all counts of the indictment.
Thibodeaux faces up to twenty years at hard labor for his convictions.
