Lamont Cole

Introduction

Lamont Cole, 52, is the superintendent of the East Baton Rouge Parish School System and a former Baton Rouge Metro Council member who served as Mayor Pro Tempore. On August 5, 2026, a grand jury in Louisiana’s 19th Judicial District Court returned a true bill indicting him on seven felony counts of public bribery conspiracy, money laundering, and malfeasance in office, making him the latest local official charged in Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill’s sweeping city-parish corruption probe. He turned himself in at the East Baton Rouge Parish jail the next day. Cole denies any wrongdoing, calling the case a “miscarriage of justice based on association, not attestation,” and the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board’s top two elected leaders say the school system stands “firmly behind” him.

Background Information

Cole built his career in Baton Rouge public life, serving on the East Baton Rouge Parish Metro Council and rising to Mayor Pro Tempore before moving into the school system’s top job. He resigned from the council on August 6, 2024, and was confirmed as superintendent two days later. WBRZ reported in late July 2026 that he was already under investigation by the attorney general’s office.

He is the latest city-parish official to be charged as part of Attorney General Liz Murrill’s probe, which over recent months has targeted alleged corruption involving the Capital Area Transit System and multiple mayor’s office initiatives, including Councilman Cleve Dunn Jr., former mayoral aide Courtney Scott, and former CATS Chief Administrative Officer Pearlina Thomas.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Allegations. Cole has been indicted, not convicted. The charges stem from a 19th Judicial District Court grand jury’s true bill returned as part of Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill’s sweeping corruption probe into city-parish government. Cole denies the allegations, and every count against him remains an unproven accusation; under the law he is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

According to the indictment, the alleged conduct ran from August 10, 2022, through December 31, 2024 — a window covering part of Cole’s tenure on the Metro Council as well as several months after he was appointed superintendent of schools. The seven-count indictment, obtained by the WAFB I-TEAM, outlines allegations of bribery, money laundering, and malfeasance. Counts 1 and 2 charge Cole, Terral C. Jackson, and Erica P. Jackson with conspiring to give or offer anything of apparent present or prospective value to a public officer, while Cole is accused of conspiring to accept unauthorized benefits as a public official. Counts 3 and 4 charge the Jacksons with money laundering, alleging they received or acquired proceeds of criminal activity in transactions totaling $20,000 or more but less than $100,000. Counts 5 and 6 charge Cole directly with money laundering, alleging he directed, planned, organized, initiated, financed, managed, supervised, or facilitated the transportation or transfer of proceeds valued between $20,000 and $100,000. Count 7 accuses him of malfeasance in office for intentionally performing a duty required of him as a public officer in an unlawful manner.

Cole turned himself in at the EBR jail on Thursday, August 6, 2026, where jail records showed him arrested on two counts of public bribery conspiracy, two counts of corrupt influencing conspiracy, and malfeasance in office. An arrest warrant had been issued the day before.

Cole released a statement on the afternoon of the indictment: “I’ve provided servant leadership to this community for decades, guided by humility, integrity, and ethical standards. Today’s actions are simply a miscarriage of justice based on association, not attestation, and proximity to potential crimes without proof. I will fully comply with all legal requests, and I am confident in our legal system to swiftly recognize this for what it is and make the appropriate adjustments to fully vindicate me.” The day before, speaking to roughly 6,000 school district employees at the district’s annual back-to-school convocation, he had referenced his personal struggles, saying, “I am currently experiencing one of the most challenging times of my life.”

Public Reaction and Consequences

The indictment landed on the eve of the school system’s first day of classes. School Board President Shashonnie Steward and Vice President Cliff Lewis, writing in their personal capacities rather than for the full board, said the school system stands “firmly behind Mr. Cole as he navigates this matter,” citing due process and the presumption of innocence and pledging that the district’s day-to-day operations would proceed without interruption. Mayor-President Sid Edwards likewise said every person accused of a crime is entitled to the presumption of innocence and full protections of due process, adding that “allegations should be decided in a court of law, not in the court of public opinion.”

As WAFB noted in its coverage, an indictment is an accusation and does not represent a conviction.

Current Status

Cole has turned himself in to authorities and the criminal case against him is pending. Both co-defendants, Terral C. Jackson and Erica P. Jackson, were indicted on the same day on criminal conspiracy to commit public bribery and money laundering charges. Cole remains the district’s superintendent; WBRZ reported that it had asked the school system for details about his future ahead of the first day of school. No conviction has been entered on any count, and the charges against him remain allegations he vigorously disputes.

Impact on Their Career/Life

The indictment upended a decades-long public-service career at its peak. Cole went from Baton Rouge Metro Council member and Mayor Pro Tempore to schools superintendent in two days in August 2024, and within a year of taking the district’s top job he was a criminal defendant in a high-profile state corruption probe. The man who told thousands of district employees he was living through “one of the most challenging times of my life” now faces seven felony counts that could end his career in education and public office if proven, while insisting the case against him is built on association rather than any proof of his own conduct.