Free Republic

An officer with the Housing Authority of New Orleans was fatally shot in his patrol car while working a security detail at the construction site of the Guste Homes public housing complex, according to New Orleans police officials Sunday (May 24). Authorities have not yet identified the male officer, who had been with the HANO department for about two years, HANO Police Chief Robert Anderson said. "It is truly a sad day for our department," Anderson said. "We've never had an on-duty death in the department's history."HANO police found the officer's body about 7:10 a.m. Sunday in his patrol car,...

A Florida contractor hired by the Housing Authority of New Orleans to oversee its finances embezzled more than $900,000 during the past three years, according to charges filed Monday by the U.S. attorney's office. Separate public records show that during the same time period the fiscal manager, Elias Castellanos, 43, bought a $1.6 million mansion in Davie, Fla., just north of Miami, and five late-model cars -- including a Lamborghini Gallardo worth more than $200,000, a Ferrari F430, a Porsche 911 and two Mercedes-Benzes. Federal prosecutors charged Castellanos with one count of embezzlement Monday through a bill of information, indicating...