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Eddie Jordan accused of handing contraband to inmate in Orleans criminal court

He handed a stack of papers to his client, at which point deputies took the papers and found a bag of drugs in the stack of documents.

NEW ORLEANS – Eddie Jordan, who made a name for himself as the U.S. Attorney who prosecuted former Governor Edwin Edwards, was the subject of an investigation Thursday on suspicion that he may have handed contraband to an inmate he was representing at the Orleans Parish Criminal Courthouse.

Jordan was representing an inmate in Section F. He handed a stack of papers to his client, at which point deputies took the papers and said they found a bag of drugs in the stack of documents.

According to court documents, 22-year-old Nicholas Mcknight, was set to appear in court Thursday on a charge of possession of a firearm by a felon. Mcknight is stated to be a client of Jordan's.

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Jordan then left the building as deputies began to see if he was still in the courthouse.

Jordan, who was a former Orleans Parish District Attorney, serving from 2003 to 2007, said he had done nothing wrong.

"I have nothing to hide. I'm completely innocent," Jordan said. " I am cooperating fully with their investigation. I hate drugs -- I have nothing to do with drugs. I would hope there would be a thorough investigation into all the people involved in this. I’m confident that this will turn out in my favor."

Channel 4 legal analyst Pauline Hardin said that even if the substance in the envelope tests positive for drugs, there are still several steps before the sheriff's office could seek an arrest warrant.

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"Even if he did hand the envelope to the prisoner with contraband in it, they're still going to have to prove that Eddie Jordan knew the contraband was in the envelope and didn't just innocently deliver an envelope," she said.

He previously served as the United States attorney for the eastern district of Louisiana from 1994 to 2001.

He gained notoriety during his time as U.S. attorney for prosecuting Edwards but drew complaints as DA after he fired white employees and replaced them with black employees.

He also drew criticism for releasing several high-profile crime suspects, including Mike Anderson who was accused of gunning down five teens. Jordan said he could not find a witness, but police located him a short time later.

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Stay with Eyewitness News on WWL-TV and WWLTV.com for more on this developing story.

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