The U-S Attorney’s Office has charged former state senator and chairwoman of the Louisiana Democratic Party, Karen Carter Peterson, with wire fraud. Peterson is accused of using thousands of dollars in campaign and party funds for personal use, including gambling-related expenses. Peterson is expected to enter a guilty plea and legal analyst Tim Meche says that’s really her only option.
“You just can’t use your campaign funds, especially someone else’s campaign funds for something personal like that,” said Meche.
Peterson resigned from the Louisiana Senate in April and said she needs to focus on her recovery from a gambling addiction. The fraud charges carry a sentence of up to 20 years, but Meche says in recent years judges have taken into account that a gambling addiction is a disease.
“The gambling addiction is so powerful that it affects the brain’s ability to make logical, competent judgements that usually would have been made in those situations,” said Meche.
Court records show the case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Sarah Vance. Meche says when it comes down to sentencing, Judge Vance will have to determine if Peterson’s actions are a character flaw or wrong decisions were made based on a gambling addiction.
“Gambling can be a disease that it affects the mind so much, that they are using it as a bases to a make a sentence more lenient and geared more towards treatment than incarceration,” said Meche.
Peterson was the chairwoman of the Louisiana Democratic Party from 2012 to 2020. She represented Orleans Parish in the Louisiana Legislature 1999 to 2022.
Peterson issued a statement that says she made a full repayment of funds used as a result of her addiction and will continue to make amends. She also says she’s been fully cooperative with federal prosecutors.
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