Foster's Office Subpoenaed In River Pilot Probe (LOUISIANA CORRUPTION ALERT)

AP | December 26, 2002

[Sparta]

Foster's Office Subpoenaed In River Pilot Probe Federal Grand Jury Looking Into Possible Fraud

POSTED: 9:58 a.m. CST December 26, 2002

BATON ROUGE, La. -- A federal investigation into potential wrongdoing involving the New Orleans-Baton Rouge Steamship Pilots Association has reached Gov. Mike Foster's office.

Kim Rosenberg, Foster's assistant executive counsel, says the governor's office has provided one box of documents in response to a New Orleans federal grand jury subpoena. She says the last records sought will be submitted after the Christmas holidays.

NOBRA pilots guide foreign ships on the Mississippi River between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. The base salary for the coveted jobs is more than $321,000.

Controversy has swirled around the pilots' group, including allegations of people falsifying documents for their qualifications, as well as family ties and political favoritism in the pilot selection process.

Rosenberg says the governor's office has provided records that date back to Jan. 8, 1996, when Foster first took office.

State law gives the governor sole authority to commission river pilots, who are first elected by the pilots' association. The governor also signs off on investigations and any subsequent disciplinary action of pilots for such things as neglect of duty and drunkenness.

Foster's special counsel and deputy chief of staff, Terry Ryder, says he is unaware of anything in the governor's office that would be useful in the grand jury investigation. He says he is confident there has been no wrongdoing on the governor's end.

The probe began as a Coast Guard inquiry in 2001 into allegations that some pilot apprentices elected to NOBRA fraudulently obtained Coast Guard licenses by falsifying information about the amount of time they had worked as mariners.

[Sparta]

I'm shocked the AP didn't mention the fact that Foster is a Republican, granted he's a RINO though.

[bigfootbob]

I lived in NOLA from 1972-1976. I loved it. However, is there any portion of the government down there not in the pocket of the mob?

[Sparta]

Nothing is in the pocket of the mob downhere. We're independant contractors.

[Types_with_Fist]

That's correct. Not much mob in Lousiana. Each office holder is crooked or corrupt unto themselves. It's a tradition going way back. It's called "hitting the big one."