Former D.A. Eddie Jordan not likely to face charges stemming from ‘contraband’ incident

2nd July 2018   ·   0 Comments

After an investigation into a recent courtroom incident during which former U.S. Attorney and Orleans Parish District Attorney Eddie Jordan had been accused of handing an envelope containing drugs to a defendant during a court proceeding, it appears as though the former prosecutor will not face criminal charges.

Jordan, who may perhaps be best known for prosecuting and convicting former Louisiana Gov. Edwin Edwards of corruption charges during his tenure as U.S. Attorney and for indicting the “Danziger 7,” members of the NOPD for the post-Katrina killings of two people and the wounding of four others, was not formally accused in the June 15 incident.

But the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office did claim that Jordan had been observed handing defendant Nicholas McKnight, 22, an envelope containing contraband.

Throughout the process, Jordan has denied knowing what the envelope contained and has been cooperating with an OPSO investigation led by Danny DeNoux.

The OPSO is responsible for providing courthouse security and runs the Orleans Justice Center, which was formerly called Orleans Parish Prison.

Investigators reportedly listened to a recording of at least one jailhouse telephone call that captured a woman identified as Franchelle Ettamae Riles speaking with McKnight — an inmate facing an illegal gun possession charge — about a plan to sneak contraband into the jail.

Riles was allegedly observed handing an envelope that investigators later found contained tobacco papers and trazadone hydrochloride to Eddie Jordan, who was representing McKnight before Orleans Parish Judge Robin Pittman.

FOX 8 News reported that a high-ranking investigator in the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office confirms that DNA tests are being run, on the envelope that was passed.

Jordan, who has been working as a defense attorney since stepping down as Orleans Parish district attorney in 2007, has since removed himself from McKnight’s case.

An arrest warrant has now been issued for Riles. The warrant says that McKnight conspired with Riles to smuggle in the drugs during an intercepted phone call on June 13, the night before the contraband handoff in Judge Robin Pittman’s courtroom.

A source confirms that the envelope did not contain marijuana.

McKnight faces a new charge of introducing contraband into the city’s jail. He also has a new bond set at $50,000 on that charge.

As for Jordan, his attorney, J.C. Lawrence says he is not in a position to talk about the investigation.

Investigators are waiting for DNA test results to determine whether Jordan had anything to do with the contraband.

This article originally published in the July 2, 2018 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.