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S at u r d ay, d e c e m b e r 6, 2025
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Developer accused of financial crimes Investigation halts housing project funding BY PATRICK SLOAN-TURNER Staff writer
The developer of a stalled, multimillion-dollar East Baton Rouge Parish housing complex faces a raft of charges for alleged financial crimes. Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill’s office on Friday filed a bill of information charging 35-year-
old Bradly Brown — owner of KMT Holdings and Development LLC — with theft over $25,000, bank fraud, illegal transfer of monetary funds, money laundering and filing false public records. In 2021, the East Baton Rouge Parish Metro Council unanimously approved $6 million in federal dollars for Brown to build an $11 million affordable housing complex in
Scotlandville known as “Housing for Heroes.” State prosecutors say Brown intentionally stole funds from the city-parish, defrauded three different banks of more $1.2 million, knowingly acquired money as a result of criminal activity and made false statements in documents filed with the city-parish. Brown and his company were the
subject of federal grand jury subpoenas issued in May 2024. Federal authorities ordered the city-parish to turn in documents related to the Housing for Heroes project and emails, text messages and other communications between Brown and City Hall officials. Murrill’s office declined to comment Friday, citing “additional ongoing criminal investigations.” “When we can provide more information, we will,” a spokesperson said.
EBR’s Cole earns high marks School leader’s report says he exceeds expectations
BY CHARLES LUSSIER Staff writer
LaMont Cole has received high marks for his first year leading the East Baton Rouge Parish school system, with a score on his job evaluation last bested nearly two decades ago when Charlotte Placide was the superintendent. “I was pleasantly surprised that all of them had so many nice things to say,” Cole said of the School bBard afterward. “And the recommendations they made in terms of areas of improvement were all datadriven.” Cole, hired in August 2024, has had a busy 16 months on the job. Much of his first year was occupied by the development and implementation of a districtwide “realignment plan” that brought changes to 28 Baton Rouge schools, closing nine of them, and affecting more than 10,000 students and about 1,400 district employees. Overall on his job evaluation, Cole received a composite score of 3.6 on a 4-point scale for 2025. It is slightly better than the 3.56 score that Warren Drake received in fall 2019 for his final job evaluation as superintendent. The last superintendent to better Cole’s mark was Placide
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It is unclear if the Attorney General Office’s case is related to the federal investigation. Reached Friday, Brown denied wrongdoing but declined to comment further. To date, less than $1 million of the awarded funds have been paid to the developer. Construction has yet to begin on the project, which was pitched as 36 low-income apartments for essential health
ä See DEVELOPER, page 7A
Panel calls for end to hepatitis B vaccine for babies Cassidy says decision ‘makes America sicker’
BY MARK BALLARD Staff writer
Six board members present Thursday — board members Mike Gaudet, Dadrius Lanus and Carla Powell-Lewis were absent — had good things to say about the leader. Board member Emily Soulé
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Baton Rouge, criticized a decision Friday by an influential advisory panel to stop the threedecade-old practice of recommending all newborns get the hepatitis B vaccine, issuing weaker guidance for some children. Supporters of the hepatitis B vaccinations — including Cassidy, a medical doctor who has extensive experience with the inoculation — say the practice has led to a near elimination of an infection that untreated mothers pass to their babies and that sometimes leads to fatal liver disease later in life. Since 1991, physicians have given infants their first hepatitis B shot within 24 hours of birth. The babies then receive two more doses that are sometimes administered with other vaccinations to children.
ä See COLE, page 7A
ä See VACCINE, page 6A
STAFF FILE PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK
East Baton Rouge Parish schools Superintendent LaMont Cole walks the halls of Capitol Middle School on the first day of school in 2024, shortly after he was named to the position. in 2007, based on her second of five years as district superintendent. Placide earned a score of 3.8 out of 4. Under the current grading scale, anything above a 3 “exceeds” expectations. A score between 2 and 2.9 is considered “satisfactory,” while any-
thing below a 2 is considered “unacceptable.” In years past, a score between 1 and 1.9 was judged less harshly, as “needs improvement.” The East Baton Rouge Parish School Board released Cole’s results Thursday at its regular monthly meeting.
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