[StBernard] Hearing postponed for lawyers charged in bail bond scheme with St. Bernard Parish Judge Wayne Cresap

[Westley Annis]

Hearing postponed for lawyers charged in bail bond scheme with St. Bernard
Parish Judge Wayne Cresap
by Chris Kirkham, The Times-Picayune 
Wednesday September 02, 2009, 11:56 AM
A hearing for two lawyers charged in a bail bond-rigging conspiracy
alongside St. Bernard Parish Judge Wayne Cresap has been postponed until the
end of the month.

Lawyers Victor J. "V.J." Dauterive and Nunzio Salvadore "Sal" Cusimano were
originally scheduled to appear before U.S. District Judge Mary Ann Vial
Lemmon today, but the hearing was moved to Sept. 30 due to a scheduling
conflict, said Michael Ellis, an attorney for Dauterive.

Ellis said Dauterive is expected to plead guilty and is "cooperating fully
with the investigation." Cusimano's attorney, Stephen Wiles, also said plea
negotiations are under way.

According to the bill of information outlining the charges, Cresap allegedly
took more than $1,000 in cash from both Dauterive and Cusimano in exchange
for allowing inmates to be released from the St. Bernard Parish prison
without putting up bond money.

The U.S. Attorney's office outlines a scheme in which Cresap, a judge in the
state's 34th Judicial District Court in Chalmette, converted secured bonds,
which require actual money or property to be pledged, into personal surety
bonds that required only a written agreement that the money would be paid if
the defendant skipped court.

The lawyers would take cash from the inmate's family or friends, then split
the money with Cresap, according to the bill of information from the U.S.
Attorney's Office outlining the formal charges.

Cresap's next court appearance is scheduled for Oct. 1. A guilty plea is
also likely for Cresap, according to a federal court filing last month.

Cresap's attorney, Patrick Fanning, filed a motion last month stating that
"plea negotiations are under way in earnest. It is likely that with
additional time this matter may be resolved without the need for a trial."