Former New Orleans Aviation Director Lands in Prison for Fraud

Hurricane Katrina ruined many properties and lives of many good people in New Orleans.  Sean Hunter, the former director of aviation at Louis Armstrong International Airport, apparently tried to cash in on what was a real tragedy to many with what appeared to be a petty insurance scam perpetrated by him and his wife.

 Hunter and his wife, Shauna, were charged together in a nine-count indictment, which stated that Shauna Hunter filed and collected on a false insurance claim for her BMW 525i after Hurricane Katrina.

According to the prosecutors, Shauna claimed the car had been ruined by floodwaters, even though the car was actually perfectly fine and was still driven by the couple.

According to nola.com,NOLA.com Sean Hunter will spend a year and a day in jail for his role in the scheme, U.S. District Judge Stanwood Duval Jr. determined after Hunter had pled guilty earlier in January to a single count of obstruction of justice for his role.

As stated in the indictment, Shauna Hunter’s insurance through AAA paid off the car’s $55,000 price tag plus mailed her an additional $3,443.

The investigation began because the driver of the car was seemingly in a hurry to get places, twice spotted running red lights in New Orleans. The resulting tickets were then sent to AAA, because they were listed as the owner of the car.  Perhaps the pair would have gotten away with it had whoever was driving bothered to stop for those pesky red lights. 

Ok, so that wasn’t too bright to drive what is pretty much a stolen vehicle around town, through red traffic lights.  But surely they were smart enough to hide the car in a secret place that can’t be traced back to the director of aviation, right?

 “The Hunters tried to hide the car in a garage at the airport, but a New Orleans Police Department detective found it there.”

Looks like the answer to that is negative.  After word of the federal investigation got out, Sean Hunter resigned from his airport post, which paid $181,000 annually, in September of 2009.

After pleading guilty to a single count of obstruction of justice, Hunter was fined $3,000 and ordered to surrender to the Federal Bureau of Prisons on June 27^th. That agency will then determine where he serves his sentence, after which he will have three years of probation to serve. Moments before he was sentenced, Hunter offered his “sincerest apologies.”

“It’s with great humility today I ask for the court’s mercy … and the community’s forgiveness,” Hunter said, his voice quavering.

Hunter and his attorney, Arthur Lemann IV, asked the judge for “probation and mercy,” but prosecutors argued that Hunter was a public official who broke the law by using his position at the airport to aid in the scam.

The judge agreed.

 “Public trust is paramount,” Duval said in handing down his decision. “He abused it.”

Shauna Hunter is still waiting to face charges on this case, but currently has another two-count indictment waiting for her in a federal court in Houston that contains almost identical accusations.

Another representative for the Hunters, Arthur “Buddy” Lemann III, has said that Mrs. Hunter intends to plead guilty in the Houston case, which will result in the New Orleans charges being dropped.

Records show that Shauna Hunter is scheduled for re-arraignment on Friday, May 13^th. Hopefully she’s not superstitious. 

Please note that these are still merely allegations made against Shauna Hunter, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.