A federal grand jury in New Orleans has unsealed the indictment of a former Amite City Police chief and a current Amite City councilmember that charges both individuals with criminally violating federal election laws as part of a scheme to pay for votes in a federal election, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. 

The indictment alleges that former Amite City Police Chief Jerry Trabona, 73, and current Amite City Councilmember Kristian Hart, 49, both of Amite City, Louisiana, conspired to and unlawfully paid voters to cast their ballots for certain candidates during the 2016 open primary election and the 2016 open general election in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana.