NEW ORLEANS -- Seven members of the Mandeville city government testified Thursday before a federal grand jury.
According to several of those testifying, much of the questioning concerned city credit card use and the actions of longtime Mandeville Finance Director Milton Stiebing.
'First of all, Eddie Price was the mayor,' Stiebing's attorney Claude Kelly said. 'Milton was an employee. If the issue is Milton Stiebing's credit card usage, we're looking forward to our day in court. You're not going to find one instance where Milton Stiebing used the Mandeville city credit card for any personal use, in 24 years of service, not one instance.'
Stiebing is named prominently in a scathing state legislative auditor's report released in August 2008. That report served as a blueprint for the federal case against former Mayor Eddie Price. Price is now in federal prison.
Testifying Thursday: current Mandeville Mayor Donald Villere, council members Jerry Coogan, Trilby Lenfant, Carla Buchholz and Jeff Bernard, former City Attorney David Cressy and Purchasing Agent Cathy Williams.
Coogan is represented by attorney Chick Foret, and both chose not to speak to reporters after his testimony.
Coogan, Bernard, Buchholz and Lenfant all testified before the federal grand jury investigating Eddie Price as well.
'There were no surprises in the grand jury,' Lenfant said afterward. 'The issues were the same issues that we've been hearing about since the legislative auditor's report came out involving the use of the mayor's credit card, and the finance director's use of the credit card as well.'
'For him (Stiebing), as an employee, to be blamed for the Eddie Price mess is not just,' Kelly said.
Stiebing was not subpoenaed to appear before the grand jury.
'We were not invited to this party today,' Kelly said. 'The grand jury is a tool of the U.S. attorney. The grand jury will do what the U.S. attorney wants it to do. If there's an indictment that comes, I guarantee you that Milton Stiebing's going to fight it every step of the way, because he is absolutely innocent.'
