NEW ORLEANS — A New Orleans businessman charged in a 25-count federal indictment that includes allegations that he bribed Mayor LaToya Cantrell pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Wednesday.
After the hearing, Randy Farrell broke his silence about the case by vigorously pushing back against the accusations.
“I'm just very mad that this has come to this,” Farrell said. “I've never taken a bribe in my life.”
Farrell, a contractor and inspector who owns IECI, is accused by the U.S. Attorney’s office of bribing Mayor LaToya Cantrell to get a Safety and Permits official fired.
In the indictment handed up last month, the feds accuse Farrell of bribing Cantrell with Saints tickets, an iPhone and lunch at Ruth’s Chris Steak House to get her to fire Jennifer Cecil, an official in the city’s Safety and Permits Office.
Cecil had been scrutinizing permits and inspections by IECI when Farrell allegedly tried to get the administration to fire her. Some of Farrell’s alleged text messages about Cecil were included by the U.S. Attorney in the indictment.
“Just get (Public Official 1) to get her out and we will be Kings with Safety and Permits…That woman is still up there,” Farrell allegedly texted to business associate and Cantrell supporter Faoud Zeton.
Later, after Cecil was fired, Farrell allegedly texted Zeton “The B**** is gone!!!!!”
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[WATCH] Who is Fouad Zeton?
In comments after the arraignment, Farrell’s attorney Rick Simmons addressed the bribery allegations charges head-on.
“We don't think they're bribes,” Simmons said. “What we're talking about is a luncheon with six people for $800. And the Saints tickets? The Saints tickets, a dozen tickets to the mayor who can probably go to any one of the suites in the stadium?”
Farrell went on to strongly defend his work, stating that he performed more than 500,000 inspections in New Orleans.
“For the last couple of years my name and my company has been drug through the mud by a couple of reporters,” Farrell said. “Leveling allegations and accusations against me and my company and my employees.”
Inside the courtroom, Assistant U.S. Attorney Nick Moses turned up the temperature on an otherwise perfunctory first appearance by suggesting possible witness tampering because Farrell spoke to another person involved in the case.
Simmons had a quick response to that also, noting that the witness called Farrell and not the other way around.
“A witness called him and brought up the subject matter,” Simmons said. “He doesn't intend to intimidate any witnesses.”
Farrell also suggested that he has been the victim of unfair reporting by the media, at one point singling out WWL-TV Chief Investigative Reporter David Hammer, who broke the story about the allegations against Farrell.
Farrell suggested that Hammer was guided in his coverage by “a couple of his friends.”
Hammer responded with the following written statement: “Because I follow strict journalistic ethics, I don't investigate cases that involve any of my friends, and none of the people involved in Mr. Farrell's case are my friends. I've offered Mr. Farrell chances over many months to comment on these allegations and he's chosen not to. I will continue to cover this story fairly as I have for the last five years.”
Farrell was allowed to remain free on an unsecured bond on the condition that he avoid all communication with any potential witnesses in the case.
Farrell is scheduled to appear in court again Friday for a status hearing.
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