Former LHBPA director pleads guilty to conspiracy

Sept. 2, 2011 - Less than a week before he was scheduled to go to trial in federal court, Sean Alfortish pleaded guilty in federal court Wednesday to conspiring to rig the elections of the Louisiana Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association, then helping himself to funds controlled by the agency. Alfortish admitted to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud, health care fraud and identification document fraud. Alfortish admitted he created a scheme to get re-elected as the head of the nonprofit in 2008 after his first term as president was marred by charges of financial mismanagement.

Sean Alfortish

Thanks to a raft of falsified ballots, Alfortish won re-election and a slate of his hand-picked candidates were elected to the board, replacing some of those who had questioned Alfortish's leadership. When the election results were challenged, Alfortish "presided over a hearing ... knowing that he had participated and directed others to mail falsified ballots," said a summary of the case signed by Alfortish.

Alfortish also admitted using the association's medical benefits trust fund for personal expenses, doubling the trust's expenditures during his first term as president, from 2005 to 2008. He also admitted settling an employee's sexual harassment grievance for $25,000, then reimbursing himself with the same amount and calling it "back pay" for work that other employees did.

The horsemen's association takes a 6 percent cut of the purses at Louisiana's four racetracks, a percentage that tops $5 million a year. With that money, the association acts as the bookkeeper at tracks, pays out purses after races and provides services to horse owners and trainers, including medical insurance and workers' compensation insurance.

Alfortish now faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice any monetary gains for him or losses he caused for others. He is the last defendant remaining, after the recent plea of Mona Hebert Romero, 53, the group's former executive director. Romero admitted to conspiring to commit mail fraud, wire fraud and fraud in connection with identification documents, court records show.

"This is the salient goal in this case," U.S. Attorney Jim Letten said Wednesday. "But I'm hesitant to say we won't bring other charges against other individuals."

Alfortish's lawyer, Rich Westling, declined to comment Wednesday. Alfortish is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Eldon Fallon on Dec. 15.

A 29-count indictment handed up in November 2010 charged that Romero and Alfortish lived it up on the association's money. Letten said the first conspiracy count, to which Alfortish pleaded guilty, essentially incorporates all of the actions alleged in the other counts.

Alfortish received no salary as president, but collected $116,000 as director of the association's workers' compensation and simulcasting operations, on top of his regular jobs as a lawyer and, formerly, a Kenner magistrate, the indictment said. In addition, his family health insurance premiums of $1,200 a month were fully paid and he got a credit card for personal use, trips to Aruba and Grand Cayman Island and a home speaker system worth almost $3,000, according to prosecutors.

The indictment also alleged that Romero enriched herself on the association's dime. She too got $25,000 to make a sexual harassment complaint against her disappear, prosecutors allege. The indictment also claims Romero took $228,275 out of the medical benefits trust, got a sport utility vehicle, credit cards, a pricey Louis Vuitton handbag and trips to Aruba and the Grand Caymans with her husband, a horse trainer, from the association. Romero allegedly also received a $2,500 payment from a hurricane relief fund the association set up, even though she suffered no eligible storm losses. She is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 27.

The first guilty plea in the sprawling case came from the association's former farm and field director, Cindy "Cricket" Romero, Mona Romero's sister-in-law.

She pleaded guilty in December 2010 to helping Mona Romero and Alfortish rig the 2008 election by identifying which members were likely not to vote, traveling to their cities, which included Cincinnati, Louisville and Lexington, Ky., Houston, Dallas and Tampa, Fla., and mailing falsified ballots from those locations.

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