In a stunning development released on Tuesday, Jack Montoucet, who ran the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries until his abrupt 2023 resignation, walked into federal court in Lafayette and changed his plea to guilty.
That sudden change of heart comes after Montoucet was hit with a five-count federal indictment in May 2025 for allegedly orchestrating a classic kickback scheme involving a lucrative statewide contract for online hunter education, boater education, and citation resolution courses. The original charges included conspiracy to commit bribery, bribery, wire fraud, and money laundering. He initially pleaded not guilty and vowed to fight the case at trial.
A fight he now seems to have abruptly given up on.
Under a plea agreement with federal prosecutors, Montoucet admitted to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States—specifically, conspiring to corruptly solicit and accept kickbacks in exchange for steering state contracts to a favored vendor. In return, the government dropped the remaining four charges. He now faces up to five years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
“Public officials are entrusted with serving the people – not enriching themselves. Today’s guilty plea makes clear that the defendant abused that trust by engaging in a scheme to manipulate the contract process and steer contracts for personal gain,” said IRS Criminal Investigation Atlanta Field Office Special Agent in Charge Demetrius D. Hardeman. “We will continue to work in concert with our partner organizations and the U.S. Attorney’s Office to hold accountable those who exploit their official positions for personal profit.”
Between approximately May 2020 and June 2022, prosecutors allege that a scheme was orchestrated to manipulate the bidding process for online education courses required for Louisiana hunters and boaters.
The conspirators include Montoucet, former Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Commissioner Dusty Guidry (who is currently incarcerated for his involvement), and contractor Leonard C. Franques, the owner of DGL1, LLC (who has already pleaded guilty). Together, they allegedly rigged the bidding process so Franques’ company would win the contract to provide the mandatory online education courses that Louisiana hunters and boaters must complete for their licenses.
In exchange, Montoucet was promised one-third of the profits as a kickback—money that was supposed to be funneled back to him even after he left office. At least $122,508 had already been set aside for his share before the scheme was uncovered and the group even discussed ways to disguise the payments to keep them hidden from prying eyes.
This wasn’t some minor side deal either. The contract involved millions of dollars in revenue generated directly from sportsmen and women—fees that help fund the very agency charged with protecting Louisiana’s wildlife and fisheries resources.
Montoucet, now 78, is the latest high-profile casualty in what has become a broader public corruption sweep in the Pelican State. With Dusty Guidry already serving four years and Leonard Franques locked up behind him, federal prosecutors seem to be closing in on a clean sweep of the main players in yet another despicable tale of institutional rot.
U.S. District Judge David Joseph has scheduled sentencing for June 30, 2026.
