By TED McMANUS

Allegations of forgery against a candidate for the vacant Morgan City Housing Authority executive director’s post have been turned over to the local district attorney’s office.

Also, it was learned Tuesday that another candidate for the director’s job, Max Thibodeaux, has not withdrawn his application, contrary to what the MCHA board announced at Monday’s meeting.

In the first matter, Jim McClelland, an assistant DA with 16th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, said Monday afternoon that he had received a request from MCHA attorney Nick LaRocca Jr. that an investigation be launched into an incident involving former housing authority employee Nancy Rae.

McClelland said the case has been turned over to the Morgan City Police Department to conduct the investigation, the results of which will be released to the DA’s office where a decision will be made on whether to prosecute the case.

Rae, of Thibodaux, was terminated by a former director from her position as the MCHA’s director of operations and administration, a post she held from February 2004 until she was fired in September 2004.

Her termination was the result of not following a direct order from her supervisor, former director David Nisivoccia, not because of the forgery incident.

The incident in question involved former housing authority employee Joseph Bergeron’s attempt to remove his ex-wife from his insurance coverage.

Bergeron currently is listed as a plaintiff in four lawsuits filed against the MCHA, including wrongful termination, workers compensation, unemployment insurance benefits and alleged discrimination. He has also indicated he is filing another suit against the housing authority over the forgery allegations.

Nisivoccia suspected that the signature to remove Martie Pennington Bergeron from J. Bergeron’s health care plan was forged.

At the board’s March 14 meeting, LaRocca explained that Mrs. Bergeron examined the document to delete her from the policy and signed an affidavit stating she knew nothing of the document and did not sign it.

Forensic handwriting experts were contacted to analyze the signature and, after the first analysis failed to show irrefutable proof that it was forged, another expert was retained and determined on two separate handwriting samples by Mrs. Bergeron that the signature had been forged.

The analysis also indicated that the forgery was done by Rae during her days as an administrative staffer.

At that meeting, board Chairman Lorraine Lewis contended that the board should not pursue the case further by turning it over to the DA’s office.

“I think we should drop this now and not open ourselves up to any more lawsuits or more legal fees,� Lewis said at the time.

The handwriting analysis, performed by Forgery Forensics of Princeton, N.J., cost the board $1,250.

Board member Cornel Keeler said at the March 14 meeting that he felt the board’s policy was flawed if it required employees’ spouses to sign to have them removed from the insurance policy.

If the insurance company required that, Keeler said, “I think we need to find another insurance carrier.�

Former interim director Patti Armstrong and board member Deborah Price voiced their support for turning the case over to the DA’s Office to determine whether criminal charges should be filed.

Armstrong has since stepped down as interim director but remains as the MCHA’s director of housing.

Thibodeaux, of Morgan City, and Rae were the two executive director applicants from a field of 32 whose resumes were hand-delivered to Lewis rather than being mailed to the MCHA office.

LaRocca recommended that the board re-advertise for the position due to the inconsistent manner in which resumes were accepted.

However, at Monday’s monthly meeting, the board met in executive session to discuss their options.

LaRocca, who was unable to attend the meeting, said this morning, “I understand the board’s sense of urgency in getting the executive director selected and in place.�

While the board did not choose to re-advertise for the position as he recommended, LaRocca said, “I don’t consider what transpired to be ignoring my advice. The board members chose to go another route.�

In the meantime, LaRocca said he is drafting — at the board’s request — a list of procedures by which the board will conduct the director’s search.

After reconvening from Monday’s executive session, board members announced that they had decided to accept Rae’s application because the board’s bylaws did not specifically indicate how applications must be received.

Rae was chosen by Lewis and board member Theresa Francois as their selection to be invited back for an interview.

Francois had originally selected Thibodeaux as her first choice, but it was announced at Monday’s meeting that he had written a letter withdrawing his name from contention.

After reading a published report of the meeting, Thibodeaux issued a statement to The Daily Review stating that he has not withdrawn his application for the position.

“… I authorized absolutely no one to make any such statement on my behalf as I am perfectly capable of representing and presenting my own oral and/or written statements,� he wrote.

In a letter dated April 27 to Keeler, Thibodeaux said he would “prefer that the MCHA Board move forward than backwards and proceed with the selection process … seeking an applicant with the knowledge, experience and ability capable of providing the desperately needed leadership and direction rather than spending ‘wasted time’ haggling over whether or not my resume packet will be officially acknowledged and accepted.�

“Therefore, the MCHA Board has my permission to feel free to place it in the garbage can and pretend that it was never received … which is basically the outcome I told HUD Washington in February would in fact occur a ‘second time.’�

The board is expected to interview candidates for the executive director’s post within the next two weeks.

Those currently being considered for the position are Rae, James R. Tabron of Durham, N.C., and Judith Escamilla of Houma.

This morning, Francois said she would change her choice from Rae to Thibodeaux to invite for an interview, now that Thibodeaux has announced he has not withdrawn his name from consideration.


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