Derrick Shepherd
Member of the Louisiana Senate
from the 3rd district
In office
2005–2008
Personal details
Political partyDemocratic
ResidenceHarvey, Louisiana

Derrick D. T. Shepherd (born c. 1970) is an attorney and Democratic politician, formerly a member of the Louisiana Senate.

State representative

Shepherd was first elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives in 2003 and took office in early 2004 as the Representative for the 87th House District. He had received 60% of the vote.[1]

State senator

In May 2005, Shepherd won a special election and became the State Senator for the 3rd District. He received 51% of the vote and succeeded Lambert Boissiere, Jr., who had won a seat on the Louisiana Public Service Commission. Shepherd was re-elected in 2007 with 61% of the vote.

As a State Senator, proposed a bill to criminalize the wearing of "saggy" pants which displayed the wearer's underwear.[2] This bill was not passed, although the measure provided excellent material for many comedians.

Federal politics

In November 2006, Shepherd ran against incumbent Bill Jefferson in Louisiana's 2nd congressional district. Jefferson, who was dogged by allegations of corruption, was facing a tough re-election fight. Shepherd finished third with 18% of the vote, behind Jefferson and Representative Karen Carter.

Conviction for corruption

2009 Mardi Gras float lampooning Shepherd's money laundering

On April 10, 2008, Shepherd was indicted by federal investigators on charges of corruption. Shepherd allegedly engaged in a money-laundering scheme, in which he is accused of laundering $141,000 for Gwen Moyo, a former insurance broker who was barred from that business due to a felony conviction. Moyo's business accounts were frozen, so Shepherd ran the funds through his business account, retaining $65,000 for his services. He has claimed that he performed 100 hours legitimate legal services for this money ($650 an hour). The Feds dispute Shepherd's account.

On October 10, 2008, Shepherd pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. He also resigned his state senate seat on the same day.[3][4][5][6] In February 2010, Shepherd was sentenced to 37 months in prison.[7][8]

Return to Politics

In 2019, Shepherd ran for Council District 3 of Jefferson Parish.[9]

References

  1. ↑ "Jackson elected to state House after Rep. Harris withdraws, Times-Picayune, New Orleans, September 14, 2007". Archived from the original on September 18, 2007. Retrieved April 12, 2008.
  2. ↑ "Memo to Britney: Lose the low-slungs", By Bethany Thomas, NBC News, May 13, 2004. Retrieved Feb 12, 2010.
  3. ↑ Dennis Persica (July 30, 2008). "Sen. Derrick Shepherd stays out of jail, apologizes for weekend arrest". nola.com.
  4. ↑ "Derrick Shepherd: Pleads Guilty in Sad Louisiana Political Story". Archived from the original on December 5, 2008. Retrieved January 11, 2016.
  5. ↑ Shepherd: FBI sought dirt on Nagin, Jefferson, Carter, Times-Picayune, New Orleans, October 24, 2007
  6. ↑ Senator indicted in fraud case, Times-Picayune, New Orleans, April 11, 2008
  7. ↑ BayouBuzz Staff (October 10, 2008). "Derrick Shepherd: Pleads Guilty In Sad Louisiana Political Story". bayoubuzz.com. Archived from the original on December 5, 2008.
  8. ↑ U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Louisiana (February 11, 2010). "Former State Senator Derrick Shepherd Sentenced to 37 Months in Prison for Role in Money Laundering Conspiracy". fbi.gov.
  9. ↑ Former state senator, convicted felon, seeks Jefferson Parish council seat, WDSU, New Orleans, June 18, 2019
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