Former DEA special agent Chad Scott, who was once nationally known for his track record as an officer, was convicted by a federal jury in New Orleans for his role in a long-running scheme to steal personal property and money from individuals who had been arrested, according to the Department of Justice.
Scott, 53, of Covington, will appear in court one more time for sentencing on Aug. 11.
Rodney P. Gemar, 45, of Ponchatoula, was also found guilty of conspiracy, seizure of property, and removal of property. U.S. District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo of the Eastern District of Louisiana, who presided over the trial, has scheduled his sentencing for Dec. 4.
According to court documents, Scott and Gemar were accused of taking items like wallets, phones, and keys instead of logging these items into evidence or returning them to the owners.
After a co-conspirator was arrested documents say, Scott and Gemar, along with another colleague named Karl Newman, destroyed the evidence of their crimes, in part by throwing the evidence into the swamps outside New Orleans. They also allegedly used approximately $4,800 in money stolen from arrestees to pay for an attorney for their arrested co-conspirator.
Scott has been fired from the DEA. Gemar has been removed from the DEA task force.
Two other former Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies who had been serving as DEA task force officers in New Orleans have pleaded guilty in this investigation. Karl Emmett Newman, 54, of Kentwood, pleaded guilty to unlawfully carrying a firearm in furtherance of an August 2015 robbery, which was disguised as the execution of a search warrant, as well as misappropriating money confiscated by the DEA during another search. Johnny Domingue, 32, of Maurepas, Louisiana, pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine and misappropriating money confiscated by the DEA.
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