LAFAYETTE, LA. (FNN) – The U.S. Department of Justice announced today that a federal grand jury in Lafayette, Louisiana, has indicted former Assistant District Attorney Gary Haynes, 66, on multiple felony charges, including conspiracy to commit bribery, bribery, money laundering conspiracy, and obstruction of justice. Haynes, who served in the 15th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, faces a maximum sentence of 65 years if convicted.

According to court documents, Haynes conspired with Dusty Guidry, Leonard Franques, and others to solicit bribes and kickbacks through the Pretrial Intervention (PTI) program he oversaw. The program offered an alternative to criminal prosecution for certain offenders. In exchange for approving participants into the PTI program, Haynes directed defendants to take paid courses offered by Franques’ companies, receiving kickbacks for his involvement. Charges against the defendants were subsequently dismissed after completing the courses.

The indictment also alleges that Haynes and his co-conspirators concealed the kickback proceeds, including reactivating a defunct company to disguise the income. Additionally, Haynes is accused of obstructing justice by directing a co-conspirator to destroy or alter documents to hinder future investigations.

Franques pleaded guilty in January 2023 to conspiracy to commit bribery, while Guidry pleaded guilty in March 2023 to multiple bribery-related charges. Both are scheduled for sentencing on October 24, 2024.

The case is being investigated by the FBI New Orleans Field Office and IRS Criminal Investigation, with Trial Attorneys Steven Loew and Trevor Wilmot of the Justice Department’s Public Integrity Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Luke Walker and John Nickel prosecuting.

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ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Disney on Monday amended its free speech lawsuit against Gov. Ron DeSantis to add recent developments in the tit-for-tat fight between the entertainment giant and the Florida governor, such as a new law granting the state unprecedented authority to inspect a monorail system at Disney World.

Disney’s amended complaint filed in federal court in Tallahassee is updated with developments since the entertainment giant almost two weeks ago sued DeSantis and an oversight board for the Disney World governing district that is made up of members newly appointed by the governor.

The new complaint references legislation passed last week by Florida lawmakers that rescinds agreements that Disney and a previous oversight board consisting of Disney supporters made earlier this year, giving the entertainment giant control over design and construction at Disney World. The amended lawsuit also includes the new measure passed last week by Florida lawmakers giving the state authority to inspect Disney World’s monorail system, which previously had been conducted in-house.

Disney is the only company impacted by the new measure and it “was precision-engineered to target Disney alone, just as Governor DeSantis intended and previewed,” said the amended lawsuit.

The Disney lawsuit asks a federal judge to void the governor’s takeover of the theme park district, as well as the oversight board’s actions, on the grounds that they were violations of company’s free speech rights.

Almost a week after Disney filed its lawsuit, members of the oversight board sued Disne y last week in state court in an effort to maintain its control of construction and design at Disney World. It claimed the agreements between the company and previous board members “reek of a backroom deal.”

Disney and DeSantis have been engaged in a tug-of-war for more than a year that has engulfed the governor in criticism as he prepares to launch an expected presidential bid in the coming weeks.

The fight began last year after Disney, beset by significant pressure both internally and externally, publicly opposed a state law that bans classroom lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity in early grades, a policy critics call “Don’t Say Gay.”

As punishment, DeSantis took over Disney World’s self-governing district through legislation passed by Florida lawmakers and appointed a new board of supervisors that would oversee municipal services for the sprawling theme parks and hotels. But before the new board came in, the company made agreements with members of the previous oversight board that stripped the new supervisors of their authority when it comes to design and construction.

The creation of Disney’s self-governing district by the Florida Legislature was instrumental in the company’s decision in the 1960s to build near Orlando. The company had told the state at the time that it planned to build a futuristic city that would include a transit system and urban planning innovations, so the company needed autonomy in building and deciding how to use the land. The futuristic city never materialized and instead morphed into a second theme park that opened in 1982.

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Prosecutors on Friday formally dismissed an involuntary manslaughter charge against Alec Baldwin in the fatal 2021 shooting of a cinematographer on the set of the Western film “Rust, ” citing new evidence and the need for more time to investigate.

In a stunning turnaround for the 65-year-old A-list actor, special prosecutors Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis filed the notice to dismiss the only remaining criminal allegation against Baldwin in state District Court in Santa Fe. Prosecutors say the investigation of the shooting that killed Halyna Hutchins and injured director Joel Souza is ongoing.

An involuntary manslaughter charge against Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the weapons supervisor on the film, is unchanged.

Friday’s court filing echoed early statements from prosecutors that new facts had been revealed that demand further investigation and forensic analysis.

On Thursday, after Baldwin’s attorneys announced the decision, the special prosecutors said the “decision does not absolve Mr. Baldwin of criminal culpability and charges may be refiled.” They have declined further comment and only vaguely addressed the matter during a virtual status conference Friday in Gutierrez-Reed’s case.