Michael O'Keefe (Louisiana politician)
Michael O'Keefe | |
---|---|
Member of the Louisiana State Senate for Orleans Parish | |
In office 1960–1983 | |
Succeeded by | Ben Bagert |
President of the Louisiana State Senate | |
In office 1976–1983 | |
Preceded by | James E. Fitzmorris (ex officio as Lieutenant Governor) |
Succeeded by | Samuel B. Nunez Jr. |
Personal details | |
Born | Michael Hanley O'Keefe December 1, 1931 New Orleans |
Died | January 31, 2021 New Orleans | (aged 89)
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse | Jean V. O'Keefe |
Relations | Arthur J. O'Keefe (grandfather) Sean O'Keefe (nephew) |
Alma mater | Loyola University New Orleans College of Law |
Occupation | lawyer |
Michael Hanley O'Keefe Sr. (December 1, 1931 – January 31, 2021) was an American
Background
Reared in a
O'Keefe was among the Louisiana delegation to the
Criminal activities
Mail fraud and obstruction
In February 1983, O'Keefe was convicted of
As a result of the 1983 convictions, O'Keefe served 18 months in prison and a halfway house. The court determined that O'Keefe cheated business partners out of $900,000, used forged evidence, and implored a witness to lie about the matter.
Insurance liquidation
In a separate case in 1984, O'Keefe pleaded
Disbarment
On December 7, 1984, the Louisiana Supreme Court had disbarred O'Keefe, retroactive to December 22, 1983. On April 7, 1989, the court granted O'Keefe's application for readmission to the bar. During the early 1990s, his O'Keefe, O'Keefe, & Bernstein law firm lost most of its business from the insurance industry and the New Orleans Housing Authority. O'Keefe became involved in a personal-injury practice in which he paid others to bring him clients, a violation of the judicial canon of ethics. In most of these cases, the clients never spoke to an attorney; they were referred to a physician selected by O'Keefe. As a result of these activities, O'Keefe was permanently disbarred.[7]
Insurance theft
In 1999, O'Keefe was sentenced to 19.5 years in prison - his third conviction since 1983 - for stealing from a failed medical malpractice insurance company, an action which left hundreds of physicians without coverage. O'Keefe said that he and his co-defendants would attempt to pay $4.7 million in
Columbus University diploma mill
While behind bars in the
At some point, O'Keefe was transferred from Butner to the minimum-security
Legacy
Journalist and political analyst Clancy DuBois noted how much faith the people of New Orleans had once placed in the senior O'Keefe: "His downfall was one of the most spectacular, in the sense of how big it was, how powerful he was, and how far he fell, in my lifetime."[9] DuBois said that O'Keefe was once known as "the snowman." [It was] said he could walk across a field of snow and not leave tracks. Well, that was in the 1970s and 1980s. Nowadays, with technology and the federal government having all of its vast powers, it's very hard to weave webs that can't be seen."[9]
In 2009 his son, Michael O'Keefe Jr. (born c. 1959), then the president of Citywide Mortgage Company of New Orleans, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court before Judge
O'Keefe's nephew, the son of his brother Patrick and Patrick's wife, the late Patricia Carlin, is
He died of melanoma on January 31, 2021, at his home in Lakeview, New Orleans, at age 89.[14]
References
- ^ a b "Membership of the Louisiana Senate" (PDF). senate.la.gov. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 4, 2019. Retrieved June 21, 2013.
- ^ "Okeefe". politicalgraveyard.com. Retrieved June 21, 2013.
- ^ "Michael H. O'Keefe in the 1940 Census". ancestry.com. Retrieved June 21, 2013.
- ^ "000329 O'Keefe". usgwarchives.net. Retrieved June 21, 2013.
- ^ a b "Ray Willhoft, "Trials, Triumphs, and a Mother's Love"". magazine.loyno.edu. Retrieved June 21, 2013.
- ^ "Delegates to Democratic National Convention Listed, July 24, 1968". reggiefamilyarchives.com. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
- ^ a b "Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board: O'Keefe, Michael H." ladb.org. Archived from the original on June 24, 2013. Retrieved June 21, 2013.
- ^ a b "Janet McConnaughey, "Former La. Lawmaker: Restitution Cash from Insurance Co. Liquidation", March 20, 2008". insurancejournal.com. 19 March 2008. Retrieved June 21, 2013.
- ^ a b c d "Mike Hoss, "Former state senator running fraudulent school from behind bars?", May 13, 2010". WWL-TV. Archived from the original on February 9, 2013. Retrieved June 21, 2013.
- ^ "Inmate Locator: Michael O'Keefe, Sr". bop.gov. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved June 21, 2013.
- ^ ""Citywide President Pleads Guilty", April 21, 2009". mortgagefraudblog.com. Retrieved June 21, 2013.
- ^ "President of Citywide Mortgage Michael O'Keefe, Jr. Pleads Guilty to Making False Statements During a HUD Transaction".
- ^ "Inmate Locator: Michael O'Keefe, Jr". bop.gov. Retrieved June 21, 2013.
- ^ "Michael O'Keefe, former state Senate president who served 18 years in federal prison, dies at 89". wwltv.com. 2021-02-02. Retrieved 2021-02-02.