Feb.12, 2010, 4:44 am ICT
Former Louisiana State Senator was sentenced for participating in a money laundering conspiracy on Thursday, U.S. Attorney Jim Letten said.
Derrick D.T. Shepherd, 40, from Marrero, Louisiana, was sentenced to thirty-seven months in prison in federal court. He was also ordered to pay a $45,000 fine and be placed on three years of supervised release after serving his prison term.
Moyo, AA Communications, CMAG, and Zoucha were ordered to terminate their insurance business operations on November 17, 2006, having their bank accounts seized by state regulators. Shepherd was later employed by Moyo to launder construction bond payments for the company, promoting and facilitating the company’s unlawful activity.
Besides his prison term, U. S. District Judge Carl J. Barbier, Jr. ordered Sheperd to undergo substance abuse treatment and mental health counseling while in prison.
Shepherd pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering in October 2008. Gwendolyn Joseph Moyo was convicted at trial and sentenced to twenty in prison, and James Zoucha pled guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud as he was sentenced to three years probation.