Pubdate: Fri, 03 Aug 2001
Source: Advocate, The (LA)
Copyright: 2001 The Advocate, Capital City Press
Contact:  http://www.theadvocate.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2
Author: Brett Barrouquere

FEDS INVESTIGATE DRUG, CORRUPTION ALLEGATIONS IN EBR

Federal prosecutors have started a preliminary review of allegations 
of political corruption and drug trafficking involving four people 
from East Baton Rouge Parish.

The review of material compiled by the FBI, Drug Enforcement 
Administration and Sheriff's Office deals with "specific allegations" 
against "specific people," U.S. Attorney Brian Jackson said Thursday.

"This is not a broad or widespread review of actions of legislators 
and lobbyists," Jackson said.

The review comes one day after House Speaker Charles DeWitt, D- 
LeCompte, hired a defense attorney and denied any wrongdoing in the 
probe.

DeWitt's attorney, Mike Small of Alexandria, contacted Jackson on 
Thursday and offered DeWitt's cooperation with any investigation.

"I know essentially what evidence has been turned over," Small said. 
"I'm absolutely confident that the U.S. Attorney's Office will not 
file criminal charges in this case."

Jackson would not confirm DeWitt's involvement, saying only that the 
drug trafficking allegations deal with four people arrested recently 
in Baton Rouge.

Sheriff's Office spokesman Lt. Darrell O'Neal said the Sheriff's 
Office does not have a warrant for DeWitt's arrest "at this time."

"The investigation is continuing," he said.

The probe started with the arrests of four people -- a Baton Rouge 
business owner, a radio station ad executive, an exotic dancer and a 
suspected drug dealer -- in a case Sheriff's Office records say 
involves "prostitution, drug trafficking and political corruption 
within East Baton Rouge Parish."

Kenneth Breitenbach, owner of Digital Press & Graphics, was arrested 
July 19 on an obstruction of justice count.

Breitenbach was accused of asking an unnamed co-defendant "to lie 
about his having paid a prostitute for sex, as well as the defendant 
having provided cocaine to that prostitute," according to a sheriff's 
affidavit.

Breitenbach was arrested again July 27 on counts of conspiracy to 
distribute cocaine and Ecstasy.

Lisa Carr Yaegle, an account executive at Guaranty Broadcasting, 
which includes radio stations WDGL-FM and WTGE-FM, was arrested July 
25 on the same drug counts.

Warrants say both Breitenbach and Yaegle admitted to buying cocaine 
from Henry Marshall at Marshall's Fairway View Apartment on College 
Drive.

Marshall, the suspected dealer, was arrested July 23 on the same drug 
counts as Breitenbach and Yaegle.

Sybil Ann Truss, a former Gold Club dancer, was arrested Tuesday on a 
count of conspiracy to distribute crack and powder cocaine in the 
same investigation.

Truss' husband, John Gonzales Jr., is wanted on the same counts as 
his wife, O'Neal said.

No one has been arrested so far on prostitution or political corruption counts.

So far, there has been no substantiation of the drug trafficking and 
political corruption allegations, Jackson said.

Editor's note: Advocate Staff Writer Melissa Moore contributed to this report.
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