Patrick LeBlanc
Encyclopedia
Patrick Lynn LeBlanc, Sr., usually known as Pat LeBlanc (March 21, 1954 - March 10, 2008), was a prominent Lafayette
, Louisiana
, architect
and businessman who was also active in Republican
politics. LeBlanc and his pilot perished when their single-engine airplane crashed over northern Vermilion Parish. His passing came eleven days before his 54th birthday and only four months after having been defeated in a high-profile race for the Louisiana House of Representatives
. His pilot was R. Solomon Reed, Jr. (born May 4, 1947), of Opelousas
, the seat of St. Landry Parish in south Louisiana.
In the jungle primary
held on October 20, 2007, LeBlanc was defeated for the District 43 seat by his fellow Republican, Page Cortez
, the choice of influential State Senator
Michael J. Michot
of Lafayette. The seat was vacated by the retirement of Republican Representative Ernie Alexander
of Lafayette. Cortez polled 7,742 votes (55.5 percent) to LeBlanc's 6,218 (44.5 percent).
. In 1977, he received a bachelor of science
degree in architecture
from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette
, then known as the University of Southwestern Louisiana. LeBlanc was a registered architect in Alabama
, Mississippi
, Louisiana, and Texas
and a general contractor in those same states excluding Mississippi.
In 2000, LeBlanc received the "Builder of the Year" award from the trade association
known as Acadian Home Builders; he was the president of the group in 2006. LeBlanc's architectural firm is called The LeBlanc Group, a family-owned business established in 1957. At the time of his death, LeBlanc was the president of the company and had designed more than twenty-five prisons and correctional centers in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. He was the president of LeBlanc Construction Co., Inc., a general contracting firm that he established in 1984 to build commercial and residential projects. He was also president of LCS Corrections Services, Inc., a privately-held prison management company founded in 1990 by the LeBlanc family. LCS is the fifth largest company of its kind in the United States
. As a result of this business, he studied to receive an associate's degree
in criminal justice
from ULL in 1999.
In 1979, LeBlanc was president of the Lafayette United States Junior Chamber
, or Jaycees, and thereafter a member of the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce
. LeBlanc was a board member of the Lafayette Boys Club and Girls Club and formerly coached children's baseball
and soccer. He was the chairman of the Cajundome
Commission from 1994-1996.
LeBlanc, an avid outdoorsman, had seven pet goats and five dogs. He and his second wife, the former Jennifer Scialdone (born ca. 1951) resided in Youngsville
in Lafayette Parish.
s in Bexar County
, Texas (San Antonio
) and Morehouse Parish (Bastrop
). Le Blanc and his brother Michael, owners of Premier Management Enterprises, were named in an interstate investigation involving prison management and supplies. The firm contracts with jails to provide commissary
services for inmates. The company supplied soft drink
s and snacks at the Bexar County detention center. The LeBlancs provided then Sheriff Ralph Lopez with a free trip to Costa Rica
. Lopez resigned in August 2007 and pleaded no contest
to three charges regarding the trip. Posecutors said that Lopez, a Democrat
, did not report the gift and tampered with a government record. Patrick LeBlanc said that the free trip was legal but that Lopez was required to report it as a gift. Bexar County prosecutor brought no charges against the LeBlanc brothers.
In 1996, the Louisiana Legislative Auditor accused former Sheriff Frank Carroll, also a Democrat last elected in 1991, and LeBlanc’s former company, Gulf Coast Corrections, Inc., with providing false and misleading information to the Farmer’s Home Administration
to obtain a $3.18 million loan to build the Morehouse Parish Correctional Center. Carroll did not obtain prior approval from the FmHA before LeBlanc designed the facility. FmHA also questioned a $550,000 cost overrun on the prison. Carroll attributed the overrun to items not included in the original bid specifications. There was also a dispute about the number of beds in the prison.
Investigators uncovered a letter dated February 16, 1993, from Michael LeBlanc instructing Sheriff Carroll to retype several items on his letterhead and then to dispatch them to the FmHA regional office. One of those items, backdated to November 23, 1991, requested approval for the design of the prison. The federal office was not made aware that this request was actually prepared by Carroll on February 16, 1993. The auditors claimed that Carroll and both LeBlancs gave conflicting statements. The auditors sent criminal referrals to the U.S. Attorney citing possible violations of four different federal statutes including conspiracy to defraud, false reporting on loan and credit applications, mail fraud and bank fraud
. No state or federal charges were ever pursued in that case.
Gulf Coast Corrections, Inc., whose president was listed as Patrick LeBlanc and its vice president as Michael LeBlanc, went inactive by consent on January 1, 1997, and was dissolved in 2001. The subsequent company is LCS.
politics. Mrs. LeBlanc was listed as a fundraiser for former presidential candidate Rudolph A. Giuliani
, previously the mayor
of New York City
. The LeBlancs hosted Vice President
Dick Cheney
at their home in 2006 when Cheney spoke at a fundraiser for U.S. Representative Charles Boustany
, a Lafayette Republican. The LeBlancs gave $4,600 to Boustany and the same amount to Giuliani. Boustany also endorsed Giuliani.
Just a month before his death, LeBlanc was elected on February 9 to the Louisiana Republican Central Committee as well as the Lafayette Parish Republican Executive Committee. Lafayette Parish is one of the strongest Republican-leaning parishes in the state. LeBlanc polled 513 votes (73 percent) to Gary Reynolds' 194 ballots (27 percent) for the House District 43 seat on the central committee.
Prior to his death, the LeBlancs had purchased the Wednesday weekly newspaper, Acadiana Gazette. The publisher is Ron Gomez
, a member of the Lafayette Parish Republican Committee and a former Democratic member of the Louisiana House from 1980–1989 and an unsuccessful candidate for mayor of Lafayette in 1992. Gomez had strongly supported LeBlanc in the House race in 2007.
Five days before the fatal crash, LeBlanc had mailed a five-page survey to "concerned citizens" in Lafayette Parish. The questionnaire asks respondents their opinions on national and local issues, including potential future challengers to City-Parish President Joey Durel
, District Attorney Mike Harson, Sheriff Mike Neustrom, Clerk of Court Louis Perret, and the term-limited State Senator Mike Michot.
A mass was recited on March 13 at Our Lady of Fatima Roman Catholic Church in Lafayette. Burial was in Greenlawn Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Lafayette.
Lafayette, Louisiana
Lafayette is a city in and the parish seat of Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, United States, on the Vermilion River. The population was 120,623 at the 2010 census...
, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
and businessman who was also active in Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
politics. LeBlanc and his pilot perished when their single-engine airplane crashed over northern Vermilion Parish. His passing came eleven days before his 54th birthday and only four months after having been defeated in a high-profile race for the Louisiana House of Representatives
Louisiana State Legislature
The Louisiana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representatives, and the upper house, the Louisiana Senate with 39 senators...
. His pilot was R. Solomon Reed, Jr. (born May 4, 1947), of Opelousas
Opelousas, Louisiana
Opelousas is a city in and the parish seat of St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies at the junction of Interstate 49 and U.S. Route 190. The population was 22,860 at the 2000 census. Although the 2006 population estimate was 23,222, a 2004 annexation should put the city's...
, the seat of St. Landry Parish in south Louisiana.
In the jungle primary
Jungle primary
A nonpartisan blanket primary is a primary election in which all candidates for elected office run in the same primary regardless of political party. Under this system, the top two candidates who receive the most votes advance to the next round, as in a runoff election...
held on October 20, 2007, LeBlanc was defeated for the District 43 seat by his fellow Republican, Page Cortez
Page Cortez
Patrick Page Cortez, known as Page Cortez , is a Lafayette, Louisiana, businessman and a departing one-term Republican member of the Louisiana House of Representatives...
, the choice of influential State Senator
Louisiana State Legislature
The Louisiana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representatives, and the upper house, the Louisiana Senate with 39 senators...
Michael J. Michot
Michael J. Michot
Michael John "Mike" Michot is the departing senior Republican member of the Louisiana State Senate, having represented District 23 since the year 2000. He is the outgoing hairman of the Senate Finance Committee. Michot was unopposed for his third Senate term in the nonpartisan blanket primary...
of Lafayette. The seat was vacated by the retirement of Republican Representative Ernie Alexander
Ernie Alexander
Ernest Joseph "Ernie" Alexander is a former Republican member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from Lafayette Parish, having served in District 43 from 2000 to 2008. Prior to his legislative tenure, Alexander served a four-year term on the newly-established Lafayette City-Parish Council...
of Lafayette. Cortez polled 7,742 votes (55.5 percent) to LeBlanc's 6,218 (44.5 percent).
Early years, education, business
LeBlanc was born in Lafayette to the late L. Jaco LeBlanc and the former Jacqueline Francez. In 1972, he graduated from Acadiana High SchoolAcadiana High School
Acadiana High School is located in Scott, Louisiana.Acadiana High School opened in 1969 following the consolidation of Judice High School, located in Judice Community, and Scott High School, located in Scott....
. In 1977, he received a bachelor of science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
degree in architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
The University of Louisiana at Lafayette, or UL Lafayette, is a coeducational, public research university located in Lafayette, Louisiana, in the heart of Acadiana...
, then known as the University of Southwestern Louisiana. LeBlanc was a registered architect in Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
, Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
, Louisiana, and Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
and a general contractor in those same states excluding Mississippi.
In 2000, LeBlanc received the "Builder of the Year" award from the trade association
Trade association
A trade association, also known as an industry trade group, business association or sector association, is an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry...
known as Acadian Home Builders; he was the president of the group in 2006. LeBlanc's architectural firm is called The LeBlanc Group, a family-owned business established in 1957. At the time of his death, LeBlanc was the president of the company and had designed more than twenty-five prisons and correctional centers in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. He was the president of LeBlanc Construction Co., Inc., a general contracting firm that he established in 1984 to build commercial and residential projects. He was also president of LCS Corrections Services, Inc., a privately-held prison management company founded in 1990 by the LeBlanc family. LCS is the fifth largest company of its kind in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. As a result of this business, he studied to receive an associate's degree
Associate's degree
An associate degree is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by community colleges, junior colleges, technical colleges, and bachelor's degree-granting colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study usually lasting two years...
in criminal justice
Criminal justice
Criminal Justice is the system of practices and institutions of governments directed at upholding social control, deterring and mitigating crime, or sanctioning those who violate laws with criminal penalties and rehabilitation efforts...
from ULL in 1999.
In 1979, LeBlanc was president of the Lafayette United States Junior Chamber
United States Junior Chamber
The United States Junior Chamber is a leadership training and civic organization for people between the ages of 18 and 41. Areas of emphasis are business development, management skills, individual training, community service, and international connections. The U.S...
, or Jaycees, and thereafter a member of the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce
Chamber of commerce
A chamber of commerce is a form of business network, e.g., a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community...
. LeBlanc was a board member of the Lafayette Boys Club and Girls Club and formerly coached children's baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
and soccer. He was the chairman of the Cajundome
Cajundome
The Cajundome is a 13,500 seat multi-purpose arena in Lafayette, Louisiana. It is home to the Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns basketball teams of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette Wildcatters of the Southern Indoor Football League and the Louisiana high school basketball state...
Commission from 1994-1996.
LeBlanc, an avid outdoorsman, had seven pet goats and five dogs. He and his second wife, the former Jennifer Scialdone (born ca. 1951) resided in Youngsville
Youngsville, Louisiana
Youngsville is a city in Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 5,289 as of the 2005 Census Bureau estimates. It is part of the Lafayette Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Youngsville is located at ....
in Lafayette Parish.
Prison contracts questioned
While LeBlanc was running for the legislature on a platform of "more transparency in public disclosure", questions arose about his involvement with former sheriffSheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
s in Bexar County
Bexar County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,392,931 people, 488,942 households, and 345,681 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,117 people per square mile . There were 521,359 housing units at an average density of 418 per square mile...
, Texas (San Antonio
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
) and Morehouse Parish (Bastrop
Bastrop, Louisiana
Bastrop is a city in and the parish seat of Morehouse Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 12,988 at the 2000 census. It is the principal city of and is included in the Bastrop, Louisiana Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Monroe-Bastrop, Louisiana Combined...
). Le Blanc and his brother Michael, owners of Premier Management Enterprises, were named in an interstate investigation involving prison management and supplies. The firm contracts with jails to provide commissary
Commissary
A commissary is someone delegated by a superior to execute a duty or an office; in a formal, legal context, one who has received power from a legitimate superior authority to pass judgment in a certain cause or to take information concerning it.-Word history:...
services for inmates. The company supplied soft drink
Soft drink
A soft drink is a non-alcoholic beverage that typically contains water , a sweetener, and a flavoring agent...
s and snacks at the Bexar County detention center. The LeBlancs provided then Sheriff Ralph Lopez with a free trip to Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
. Lopez resigned in August 2007 and pleaded no contest
Nolo contendere
is a legal term that comes from the Latin for "I do not wish to contend." It is also referred to as a plea of no contest.In criminal trials, and in some common law jurisdictions, it is a plea where the defendant neither admits nor disputes a charge, serving as an alternative to a pleading of...
to three charges regarding the trip. Posecutors said that Lopez, a Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, did not report the gift and tampered with a government record. Patrick LeBlanc said that the free trip was legal but that Lopez was required to report it as a gift. Bexar County prosecutor brought no charges against the LeBlanc brothers.
In 1996, the Louisiana Legislative Auditor accused former Sheriff Frank Carroll, also a Democrat last elected in 1991, and LeBlanc’s former company, Gulf Coast Corrections, Inc., with providing false and misleading information to the Farmer’s Home Administration
Farm Security Administration
Initially created as the Resettlement Administration in 1935 as part of the New Deal in the United States, the Farm Security Administration was an effort during the Depression to combat American rural poverty...
to obtain a $3.18 million loan to build the Morehouse Parish Correctional Center. Carroll did not obtain prior approval from the FmHA before LeBlanc designed the facility. FmHA also questioned a $550,000 cost overrun on the prison. Carroll attributed the overrun to items not included in the original bid specifications. There was also a dispute about the number of beds in the prison.
Investigators uncovered a letter dated February 16, 1993, from Michael LeBlanc instructing Sheriff Carroll to retype several items on his letterhead and then to dispatch them to the FmHA regional office. One of those items, backdated to November 23, 1991, requested approval for the design of the prison. The federal office was not made aware that this request was actually prepared by Carroll on February 16, 1993. The auditors claimed that Carroll and both LeBlancs gave conflicting statements. The auditors sent criminal referrals to the U.S. Attorney citing possible violations of four different federal statutes including conspiracy to defraud, false reporting on loan and credit applications, mail fraud and bank fraud
Bank fraud
Bank fraud is the use of fraudulent means to obtain money, assets, or other property owned or held by a financial institution, or to obtain money from depositors by fraudulently representing to be a bank or financial institution. In many instances, bank fraud is a criminal offense...
. No state or federal charges were ever pursued in that case.
Gulf Coast Corrections, Inc., whose president was listed as Patrick LeBlanc and its vice president as Michael LeBlanc, went inactive by consent on January 1, 1997, and was dissolved in 2001. The subsequent company is LCS.
Republican donor
The LeBlancs had been active in national, state, and local Republican PartyRepublican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
politics. Mrs. LeBlanc was listed as a fundraiser for former presidential candidate Rudolph A. Giuliani
Rudy Giuliani
Rudolph William Louis "Rudy" Giuliani KBE is an American lawyer, businessman, and politician from New York. He served as Mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001....
, previously the mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. The LeBlancs hosted Vice President
Vice President of the United States
The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
Dick Cheney
Dick Cheney
Richard Bruce "Dick" Cheney served as the 46th Vice President of the United States , under George W. Bush....
at their home in 2006 when Cheney spoke at a fundraiser for U.S. Representative Charles Boustany
Charles Boustany
Charles William Boustany, Jr. is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2005. He is a member of the Republican Party.-Early life, education, and medical career:...
, a Lafayette Republican. The LeBlancs gave $4,600 to Boustany and the same amount to Giuliani. Boustany also endorsed Giuliani.
Just a month before his death, LeBlanc was elected on February 9 to the Louisiana Republican Central Committee as well as the Lafayette Parish Republican Executive Committee. Lafayette Parish is one of the strongest Republican-leaning parishes in the state. LeBlanc polled 513 votes (73 percent) to Gary Reynolds' 194 ballots (27 percent) for the House District 43 seat on the central committee.
Prior to his death, the LeBlancs had purchased the Wednesday weekly newspaper, Acadiana Gazette. The publisher is Ron Gomez
Ron Gomez
Ronald James Gomez, Sr., known as Ron Gomez , is a veteran print and broadcast journalist, author , and businessman from Lafayette, Louisiana, who served in the Louisiana House of Representatives from Lafayette Parish, from 1980-1989. From 1990-1992, he was the secretary of natural resources in...
, a member of the Lafayette Parish Republican Committee and a former Democratic member of the Louisiana House from 1980–1989 and an unsuccessful candidate for mayor of Lafayette in 1992. Gomez had strongly supported LeBlanc in the House race in 2007.
Five days before the fatal crash, LeBlanc had mailed a five-page survey to "concerned citizens" in Lafayette Parish. The questionnaire asks respondents their opinions on national and local issues, including potential future challengers to City-Parish President Joey Durel
Joey Durel
Lester Joseph "Joey" Durel, Jr. is the mayor of Lafayette, Louisiana. Elected in 2003, he became only the second Republican mayor of Lafayette, Louisiana, and the second person elected as "City-Parish president" of the combined City of Lafayette and Lafayette Parish government...
, District Attorney Mike Harson, Sheriff Mike Neustrom, Clerk of Court Louis Perret, and the term-limited State Senator Mike Michot.
Last rites
In addition to his mother and wife, LeBlanc was survived by two children from his first marriage, Patrick LeBlanc, Jr. (born ca. 1981), and Liee' LeBlanc (born ca. 1983); two stepsons, Michael Charles Piccione (born ca. 1985) and John M. Picionne, all of Youngsville; two brothers, Maurice LeBlanc, and his wife, Brenda LeBlanc, of Lafayette; Michael LeBlanc and his wife, Julie LeBlanc, of Baton Rouge; his aunt Beverly and her husband, Norris Guidry; his uncle Emile LeBlanc and his wife, Jane LeBlanc. He was preceded in death by his father; his maternal grandparents, Maurice Francez (1905–1977) and Nadine B. Francez (1908–1989), and his paternal grandparents, George and Bernice LeBlanc.A mass was recited on March 13 at Our Lady of Fatima Roman Catholic Church in Lafayette. Burial was in Greenlawn Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Lafayette.