[StBernard] Retired appeals court judge appointed in place of arrested St. Bernard judge

[Westley Annis]

Retired appeals court judge appointed in place of arrested St. Bernard judge
by Chris Kirkham, The Times-Picayune 
Monday May 11, 2009, 2:08 PM
A retired state appeals court judge has been officially appointed to serve
in place of St. Bernard District Judge Wayne Cresap, who was arrested last
month by the FBI in connection with an alleged judicial corruption scheme. 

The Louisiana Supreme Court appointed retired Judge Robert Klees, a former
chief judge for the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, to take over Cresap's
court through Nov. 7. The Supreme Court's decision came after Cresap filed a
motion for interim disqualification last week with the Louisiana Judiciary
Commission. 

Since he retired as chief judge for the state appeals court in 2000, Klees
has served as an ad hoc judge in several state district courts in the
metropolitan area, including St. Bernard, Orleans, Plaquemines and Jefferson
parishes. 

The Louisiana Supreme Court last year appointed Klees to serve as judge pro
tempore in Plaquemines Parish's 25th Judicial District Court, where judges
William Roe and Anthony Ragusa were the subject of a scathing legislative
audit that noted widespread mismanagement of public money. 

Current 4th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge David Gorbaty was elected to
Klees' seat in 2000, and the two flip-flopped positions when Klees
temporarily filled Gorbaty's 34th Judicial District seat after the election.


Cresap was arrested by the FBI April 24 and charged based on a criminal
complaint. An FBI affidavit alleges that at least two unnamed lawyers
entered into a bond-rigging agreement with Cresap where he accepted cash in
exchange for allowing inmates to be released from the St. Bernard Parish
Prison without having to put up money for the bond. 

Cresap allegedly converted secured bonds, which require actual money to be
pledged, into personal surety bonds that required only a written agreement
that the money would be paid if the defendant skips court. The lawyers would
take cash from the inmate's family or friends and split the money with
Cresap, according to the affidavit. 

Cresap was released from federal custody in Orleans Parish Prison three days
after his arrest. The U.S. Attorney's Office has still not sought formal
charges against Cresap through either a grand jury indictment or a bill of
information. 

The two unnamed lawyers, listed in the affidavit as "Lawyer A" and "Lawyer
B," have not been arrested.