New Orleans - Former New Orleans Police officer Michael Lohman has pleaded guilty in federal court to obstruction of justice for his role in the alleged cover-up of a shooting on the Danziger Bridge in the chaotic days following Hurricane Katrina.
Prosecutors accused Lohman of covering up facts about a shooting on the Danziger Bridge following Hurricane Katrina and later lying to the FBI about it.
“It is never acceptable to break the law in order to enforce it. The law must be respected by those entrusted to uphold it while protecting the rights of those they serve,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge David Welker. “It is the responsibility of the FBI to weed out the few who dishonor the police profession."
Lohman, a 21-year NOPD veteran, was charged with one count of obstruction of justice. Judge Ivan Lemelle accepted the plea Wednesday afternoon.
The bill of information laid out a plan of deception that allegedly involved several member of the NOPD, saying theyconspired to influence the results of the shooting investigation.
Six people were shot on the Danziger Bridge in the days following Hurricane Katrina. Ronald Madison, 40 and James Brissette, 19, died from gunshot wounds. Two teenagers and two of their adult relatives were injured in the gunfire. Police say the group fired at them first.
The bill of information goes on to allege that police planned to provide false and misleading information on the shootings and would cover up other information in order to ensure the shootings would appear legally justified. Lohman allegedly went along with the plan and the "clean" gun was later used in the investigation, according to prosecutors.
Prosecutors say an investigator knowingly failed to take steps that would have allowed a proper investigation, including telling Lohman he planned to plant a gun and other evidence under the bridge to justify the shooting.
In October of 2005, court documents say Lohman drafted a 17-page false report and provided it to be submitted as the official report. He allegedly created the report after becoming frustrated with the cover-up story because he thought it was illogical.
In the false report, Lohman changed the story about the officer who supposedly saw one of the shooting victims, Lance Madison, throw a gun into the canal. He said that four officers saw Lance Madison throw the gun into the water. Prosecutors said he made the change because the story sounded more plausible if four officer said they saw the man throw the gun from nearby, rather than one officer saying he saw it from the bottom of the bridge.
Court documents said Lohman told the investigator to make sure each of the shooters were okay with the revision.
“After closely monitoring the state prosecution which ended, we embarked on an intensive effort to reconstruct the tragic events on the Danziger Bridge. Our investigation has yielded the conviction of one of a group of NOPD officers responsible for a cover-up of the true circumstances of a deadly police shooting,” said U.S. Attorney Jim Letten.
Attorneys for New Orleans Police Sergeants Robert Gisevius and Arthur Kaufman said Saturday both men received target letters within the last several weeks related to a federal probe of the Danziger Bridge shooting.
A state judge dismissed charges against seven NOPD officers for their roles the shooting in 2008.
Sentencing for Lohman has been set for May 26.
