ECONOMIST
RECORD PRODUCER
ALAN GREENSPAN
CLIVE DAVIS
1926-2026 5A
1932-2026 3A
N O L A.C O M
|
T u e s d ay, J u n e 23, 2026
$2.00X
Audit: Regulator benefited off state contracts Ex-official accused of helping associates secure deals to manage orphan wells BY PATRICK SLOAN-TURNER Staff writer
A former state regulator helped longtime associates obtain a lucrative state orphan well contract through a series of “shell” corporations that allowed them to “run it how we see fit, no questions asked” and avoid scrutiny if the “Commis-
sioner or anyone goes looking,” according to emails obtained in an investigative audit. Johnny Adams, the former assistant commissioner in the Office of Conservation, later received a $780,000, below-market loan from those corporations to buy a Baton Rouge home, auditors said. And two of his children got jobs from
the associates in a possible violation of state law, according to the report. The Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s Office has Adams been investigating the Louisiana Oilfield Restoration Association and its associated companies since at least October 2024. The contract was part of the state’s effort to address “orphan wells,” which are abandoned oil
wells that are potentially dangerous without costly procedures to cap them. The company shut down last year amid scrutiny over alleged “self-dealing” and excessive management fees. On Monday, the auditor released a 72-page report that includes emails between Adams and four people involved with LORA. Reached Monday afternoon, Attorney General Liz Murrill — whose office previously opened a civil case against LORA — said in a
‘REALIZATION
DREAM’
of a
statement that “we will be further reviewing the case for criminal charges that may be appropriate as well.” In response to the auditor’s findings, Adams’ attorney, Steve Moore, said the report contained “misstated facts” that he believes are “unfounded, misleading or completely inaccurate conclusions.” LORA’s attorney, J. Eric Lockridge, said Monday that the report
ä See AUDIT, page 4A
Teachers union opposes Landry cuts for stipends Districts warn that reduced budget would force elimination of programs, staff
BY PATRICK WALL Staff writer
claim. In exchange, Zeton promised a kickback from the payout and pledged to use his political connections to advance Claus’ career. Federal prosecutors allege the theft that Zeton reported was staged, as was an interview captured on bodyworn police video as Claus responded to Zeton’s home to take the initial, allegedly bogus theft report.
Louisiana educators overwhelmingly want to receive pay stipends, but they oppose Gov. Jeff Landry’s plan to bankroll the pay boost by cutting public school funding, according to the results of a statewide teachers union survey released Monday. Nearly 70% of survey respondents said they Landry support giving teachers and certain school support staff one-time stipends again this year, according to the Louisiana Federation of Teachers, the state’s largest teachers union. If the state fails to fund the stipends, educators who have received the bonuses the past three years instead of raises could potentially face a pay cut. But nearly two-thirds of respondents also oppose an executive order by Landry that seeks to pay for the $2,000 stipends for teachers and $1,000 for eligible support staff by cutting state education funding by $168 million. School system leaders have warned that the cut could force schools to eliminate some programs or staff positions, though Landry has argued that school systems have enough extra money to weather the reduction. “This is not a simple yes or no from educators,” union President Larry Carter Jr. said in a statement. “They are saying: Protect our pay, but do not cut school funding to do it.” On Friday, a Baton Rouge judge temporarily blocked Landry’s order after several education advocates sued, arguing that the governor exceeded his legal authority by effectively reallocating education funding, which is controlled by the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Legislature. Lawmakers have until Tuesday to vote remotely on the funding cut, which needs the approval of two-thirds of the Legislature to take effect. However, the judge’s temporary restraining order has put the voting process in limbo. The survey results come after statewide associations representing superintendents, school boards and principals have all come out against Landry’s June 2 executive order. Now that the largest teachers union also is opposing the plan, that could put pressure on some lawmakers to abstain or vote against it.
ä See APPRAISER, page 5A
ä See STIPENDS, page 7A
STAFF PHOTOS By SOPHIA GERMER
Officials and guests walk across the field Monday at the future site of Raising Cane’s 9th Ward Stadium at LCMC Health Field in New Orleans during a groundbreaking ceremony.
Long-awaited 9th Ward stadium breaks ground ä Arnie Fielkow would not allow stadium project to die. PAGE 1C
BY MARIE FAZIO Staff writer
The long-awaited 9th Ward stadium broke ground Monday, nearly two decades after community members first pushed for a football stadium for students in the neighborhood. Paid for with private and public money, construction on the stadium adjacent to G.W. Carver High School in the Desire neighborhood is expected to be completed next summer. Called the Raising Cane’s 9th Ward Stadium at LCMC Health Field, it will seat 3,700 people and host middle and high school football and soccer games,
ä See STADIUM, page 7A
Todd Graves, CEO of Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers, reveals the renderings for the future site of Raising Cane’s 9th Ward Stadium on Monday.
Appraiser in federal art fraud trial details inflated values Prosecutors allege hefty insurance claim
Claus
WEATHER HIGH 95 LOW 77 PAGE 6B
ues for a slate of paintings reported stolen from the Lakeview home of well-known restaurateur Fouad Zeton. Prosecutors say Claus, a former Las Vegas attorney who moved to BY MATT BRUCE New Orleans and became a patrol Staff writer officer, convinced Zeton to report A Las Vegas appraiser of high-end 12 paintings stolen in October 2019. artwork testified Monday in a fed- He promised to use his friendship eral courtroom that he took his cues with Michael Schofield, an artist of from then-New Orleans police Officer 50 years, and his position on the poChristian Claus when he inflated val- lice force to secure a hefty insurance
Business ......................6A Commentary ................5B Nation-World................2A Classified .....................7D Deaths .........................3B Opinion ........................4B Comics-Puzzles .....3D-6D Living............................1D Sports ..........................1C
13TH yEAR, NO. 315