The U.S. Attorneys Office in New Orleans today announced it has charged former Jefferson Parish Chief Administrative Officer Tim Whitmer with misprision of a felony.  The charges appear in a bill of information filed today in federal court.

Prosecutors say Whitmer knew of corruption occurring in Jefferson Parish government during the Aaron Broussard administration, specifically "wire fraud, theft concerning programs receiving federal funds, and other federal violations."  The bill goes on to state that Whitmer participated in "1) the hiring of certain parish employees, 2) the awarding of salary increases to certain parish employees, and 3) the contract selection processes that were all contrary to the best interests of the citizens of Jefferson Parish."

A bill of information usually means the defendant is cooperating with the government.

Broussard and former Jefferson Parish attorney Tom Wilkinson are already under indictment in a payroll fraud case involving Broussard's former wife, Karen Parker.  That case alleges Broussard and Wilkinson conspired to hire Parker as a paralegal supervisor even though she did not meet the legal requirements for the job.  Parker recently pleaded guilty to misprision of a felony and agreed to cooperate with investigators.

Click here to read and hear legal analysis from Donald "Chick" Foret.