Chad Scott, once a decorated U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration officer beloved by higher-ups but known as the "White Devil" among traffickers, was sentenced to just over 13 years in prison Thursday, a day after he took the stand in a packed New Orleans courtroom to plead for mercy.
Scott has been in jail in St. Charles Parish since his June conviction on two charges related to accusations that he took the property of arrestees for his personal use. U.S. District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo's sentence included those two counts, plus seven more stemming from an August 2019 conviction on seven charges, including perjury, obstruction of justice and falsifying government records.
Milazzo delivered the 160-month sentence Thursday morning, a day after she heard witnesses and arguments in a five-hour long hearing in front of a courtroom packed on one side with federal agents and on the other with Scott's family, friends and supporters. An overflow courtroom across the hall also drew several dozen spectators.
Scott, clad in an orange jail jumpsuit and shackled at the ankles, stood quietly as Milazzo announced his sentence. His wife, sons and mother stood feet behind him in the courtroom's front row.
On Wednesday, Scott, 53, spoke in his defense in court, the first testimony he had offered during his trials.
"I am not the monster that has been portrayed," he said, his voice breaking. "I'm married to Michelle and the proud father of those two boys."
Scott said becoming a federal drug agent was an ambition he developed in college, and that he loved the work.
Chad Scott, once the hotshot agent of Drug Enforcement Administration's New Orleans regional office, left a federal courtroom in the same type…
"I did work hard as a DEA agent, and I do believe in the DEA's mission," he said. "Over the years, I have put my life on the line every day."
He asked Milazzo to show mercy.
"My fate lies in your hands," he said. "I hope you will give me a second chance at life."
Scott's sentencing caps one of the biggest scandals in Louisiana federal law enforcement in decades. The case burst into public view in February 2016, soon after the arrest of former Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Deputy Johnny Domingue. Scott's team, including Domingue, often worked the Interstate 12 corridor between Baton Rouge and the Mississippi state line, making busts and nabbing dozens of kilos of drugs and hundreds of thousands of dollars.
But allegations also surfaced that Scott's crew shook down suspects, used drugs and sometimes sold them. Domingue and fellow deputy Karl Newman were arrested and pleaded guilty, admitting to stealing from suspects and sometimes using or selling drugs. Hammond Police Officer Rodney Gemar was indicted with Scott on counts of taking suspects' personal property. He was tried in June with Scott and found guilty.
Domingue and Newman both testified against Scott. They served 34 and 42 months, respectively. Gemar has yet to be sentenced.
Defense attorneys surprised, pleased; trial set June 7 for former north shore lawman
Scott's son also spoke in his defense, saying that the once-decorated agent in the DEA's New Orleans office had been a loyal soldier in the drug war, a tireless worker and a devoted father.
"The last four years have been filled with agony, sadness and anger," Tyler Scott, 29, said. "My father is a man of honor and courage."
"He woke up every day with a purpose, to make the world a better place," Tyler Scott said.
Prosecutors asked Milazzo to sentence Scott to the maximum possible time: just shy of 20 years. They argued that Scott should get time equal to the crime for which he obstructed justice. That case, against an accused trafficker named Jorge Perralta, could have netted Perralta more than 10 years, but was dismissed. Scott also should get extra time for abuse of trust and for being in a leadership role, they argued.
"Scott proved himself to be a brazen criminal who hid himself behind the badge," Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Duree argued. "Defendant Scott did a staggering amount of damage."
Prosecutors called three witnesses Wednesday who recounted how they had been wronged by Scott. Julius Cerdes, a Ponchatoula man who has served prison time for drug crimes, said that Scott planted a bag of marijuana in his truck in 2005 after "ambushing" him as he arrived home late at night.
Scott also threatened Cerdes with more prison time because Cerdes was carrying a gun at the time, Cerdes testified. Cerdes later agreed to a plea bargain in which he said the marijuana was his.
One of Scott's attorneys, Stephen Garcia, conceded that Scott could be an "arrogant bastard" but hammered at Cerdes over the contradictions in his plea bargain and his testimony, eventually getting him to concede that he had lied to the judge in the earlier case.
Milazzo, who has presided over this case since Scott was indicted in 2017, said she had to take into account the more than a dozen cases in New Orleans that were affected by the investigation into Scott. A number of drug defendants were either released or had their sentences reduced due to Scott's involvement.
Citing a letter she had received from Acting U.S. Attorney Duane Evans, Milazzo said the damage to the administration of justice had been "profound." But, she noted, she took into account the 20 months of home confinement that Scott has already served.
The sentence drew praise from DEA Administrator Anne Milgram, who said "Scott betrayed the very people he was entrusted to protect and today he is being held accountable for his crimes."
CORRECTION: Jane Triche Milazzo's first name was omitted from earlier versions of this story.
