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Attorney general office reports dozens of Troop NOLA cases, flags Medicaid fraud workload and investigative priorities
Summary
Chief deputy AG Larry Freeman told the appropriations committee the Justice Department has opened hundreds of Troop NOLA cases and that the office is expanding Medicaid fraud work; lawmakers asked about a long-running Madison Parish hospital investigation and statutory dedication funding changes.
Zion Wilson of the House Fiscal Division presented the Department of Justice FY26 executive budget recommendation, which the packet lists at roughly $113 million and which relies on statutory dedications and federal grants as major funding sources.
Why it matters: the attorney general's office conducts statewide civil and criminal litigation, operates investigative units (including the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation and the Internet Crimes Against Children unit), and prosecutes cases referred by State Police including Troop NOLA investigations in New Orleans.
Chief Deputy Attorney General Larry Freeman said Troop NOLA has produced hundreds of new cases: "right now, as of today, we have 389 open cases. 389 cases that we've opened since the beginning of Troop NOLA. That's just in New Orleans alone." He told the committee the office closed 46 of those matters and currently has about 343 active criminal prosecutions pending originating from Troop NOLA investigations.
The department said FY26 includes funding for criminal law, civil law, Medicaid fraud and other units. House Fiscal noted FY26 statutory-dedication totals are higher than FY24 because FY25 included one-time appropriations from the Criminal Justice and First Responders Fund; the department's packet said $15 million was appropriated into FY25 and that about $12 million remained to carry forward into FY26.
Lawmakers asked about a long-running criminal and administrative investigation into a Madison Parish hospital. Freeman said the office is actively investigating the matter and "it is on our front burner," but he declined to provide details because of the active criminal and administrative elements of the inquiry.
The department also discussed Medicaid fraud recovery work. Officials said the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit requires state match funding for some federal awards and that the unit is productive but would be able to recover more if matched with additional state resources. The packet and witnesses noted the federal fund-replacement language and carryforwards affecting fees and self-generated revenue in the department's budget.
Lawmakers asked about vacancies and recruiting; the department reported 56 vacancies as of Dec. 30 in the packet but said the number had fallen since then. Committee members also asked about the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation and the office's work on Internet Crimes Against Children and fugitive apprehension; Freeman described wide-ranging investigative operations and interagency coordination with state police and local district attorneys.
Freeman closed by outlining the office's litigation workload including the defense of recently enacted state laws and work on redistricting appeals; he thanked the committee for past appropriations and said the office would continue to execute its criminal and civil responsibilities with the requested resources.
