The sheriff of New Orleans was hit on Wednesday with a sweeping 30-count indictment alleging malfeasance and payroll fraud amid an outside investigation into her office that was prompted by a massive jailbreak nearly a year earlier.
The indictment against sheriff Susan Hutson, whose duties include operating the New Orleans jail, was brought by Louisiana state attorney general Liz Murrill. It came days before Hutson was set to leave office, bringing a sudden and sharp conclusion to a tenure that began in 2022 with promises of sweeping reform.
Hutson’s chief financial officer, Bianka Brown, was also indicted on 20 felony counts.
Murrill’s office alleges Hutson’s refusal to follow basic legal requirements and failure to take minimal precautions enabled a 10 May 2025 mass escape that was one of the largest and most brazen jailbreaks in recent US history.
The charges against Hutson include 14 counts of malfeasance in office, along with multiple counts of conspiracy, filing false public records and obstruction of justice. Brown was also indicted on multiple counts of malfeasance in office and obstruction of justice, among other charges.
A judge set Hutson’s bond at $300,000 and Brown’s bond at $200,000. Hutson made bond at a suburban jail on the other side of the Mississippi River from New Orleans late Wednesday.
Both women were ordered to surrender their passports and are prohibited from leaving the state of Louisiana.
Four years prior to her indictment, Hutson’s victory over longtime incumbent Marlin Gusman was heralded as a watershed moment – the first time a Black woman had ever held the office of sheriff in New Orleans.
But Hutson’s ensuing sole term was marred by controversy. There were staffing scandals and allegations that she overspent on hotel rooms for some of her top brass during the city’s Mardi Gras celebrations.
State auditors recently flagged nearly $260,000 in suspicious overpayments to deputies for security details.
Tension then reached a breaking point on 10 May 2025, when a staggering security breach allowed 10 people to escape the jail. It took until 8 October 2025 for all of those who escaped to be recaptured.
When Hutson ran for re-election three days later, Hutson was voted out of office.
Voters elected former interim New Orleans police department superintendent Michelle Woodfork to replace Hutson beginning on 4 May.
Murrill noted she has been in “productive conversations” with the sheriff-elect about improving day-to-day jail operations, tightening security at the facility and putting basic financial oversight in place to meet state requirements.
Woodfork on Wednesday issued a statement echoing that, saying: “My team has been working diligently to ensure we are ready to lead effectively from day one.” Her statement also pledged “a firm commitment to accountability, transparency and integrity”.
Both Hutson and Brown were expected to appear at New Orleans’ state criminal courthouse on Thursday morning for a status hearing.
Guardian staff contributed
