52°
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
7 Day Forecast
Follow our weather team on social media

Longtime lawyer, former lobbyist accused of possessing child porn after April raid in Spanish Town

1 month 1 week 2 days ago Friday, November 01 2024 Nov 1, 2024 November 01, 2024 2:52 PM November 01, 2024 in News
Source: WBRZ

BATON ROUGE — Federal prosecutors this week filed a bill of information against a longtime lawyer and lobbyist, alleging agents found pornographic material involving children during a raid at a home in Spanish Town last April.

James S. Burland, 69, formerly lobbied lawmakers for the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry and of late had helped political figures file campaign finance reports. The Advocate reported in April that following the raid Burland had said "nothing was found."

The accusations were announced in a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office on Friday. Court records showed the bill of information was actually filed Wednesday and released Thursday. A clerical error led to it being filed under seal, which typically happens when the defendant hasn't been arrested yet.

In a filing Thursday, prosecutors said the government wasn't seeking an arrest warrant and would ask later for a summons to be issued.

The one-count bill of information said Burland possessed the material between November 2022 and April 2023, and that the items showed minors under the age of 12. Burland reached an agreement with prosecutors last week to have the matter handled directly by prosecutors without going through a grand jury.

More News

Desktop News

Click to open Continuous News in a sidebar that updates in real-time.
Radar
7 Days