Back in court, Bolar denies wire fraud

For the second time in five months, Gretna Councilman Jonathan Bolar stood before a federal judge and pleaded innocent.

Bolar, 48, appeared before Magistrate Judge Louis Moore Jr. in U.S. District Court on Friday and pleaded innocent to two additional charges of wire fraud, bringing the total counts on his federal indictment to 18.

The plea comes after a grand jury last week returned a superseding indictment accusing Bolar of twice selling a property in his district that he no longer owned. He was released on the same $50,000 personal surety bond in his original 16-count indictment.

The new charges accuse Bolar of cashing a $3,750 check from the Franklin Street Church of Christ in August 2008 for a lot at 400 Franklin St., according to the indictment. Later that month, he allegedly cashed a $11,250 check from another buyer for the same lot.

However, he had already sold the property nearly 10 months before, the indictment states.

If convicted of the two charges, Bolar faces a maximum of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Bolar was arrested on the charges in May after the Gretna Police Department and the state attorney general's office obtained warrants accusing him of taking money from people in the 1st District in three separate incidents. He was booked with theft and contractor fraud.

Two of the charges resulted in the federal charges of wire fraud after the Jefferson Parish district attorney's office referred the cases to federal prosecutors for review last month.

The third charge, leveled by the attorney general's office, accuses Bolar of taking $40,000 from a constituent for construction work on a property in the 800 block of Franklin Street. The check was cashed without any work done, according to officials.

The status of that charge is unclear. A spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney's office said that charge remained with the state attorney general's office, which did not return calls for comment.

The 16 counts on Bolar's initial indictment, made May 8, remain unchanged. They include four counts of extortion in relation to his council duties, four counts of tax evasion and eight counts of illegally structuring bank transactions to avoid federal reporting requirements. Federal authorities allege that Bolar shook down constituents for more than $100,000 in exchange for supporting zoning variances.

Bolar, who faces a Nov. 9 trial before U.S. District Judge Lance Africk, pleaded innocent to those charges. If convicted, he faces more than 120 years in prison and more than $1 million in fines.

The case is being investigated by the FBI, the Internal Revenue Service, the Gretna Police Department and the U.S. attorney's office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel P. Friel and Matthew M. Coman.

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C.J. Lin can be reached at clin@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3796.