City Councilman Jason Williams has been elected Orleans Parish district attorney, defeating former judge Keva Landrum, as projected by WWL-TV.
Williams won fairly handily with nearly 57 percent of the vote over Landrum, who had run first in the primary a month ago.
"Tonight you folks have bestowed upon me an incredible honor," said Williams at a victory speech. "I'll never forget the faith that you put in me and in God."
Williams overcame Landrum and a federal tax indictment that may cause him to be a defendant in court shortly after taking his new post.
During his campaign, Williams was outspoken in his belief that the city’s juvenile inmate population should not be treated as adults.
Williams said he thinks it is immoral to house a child in jail with adults.
"The question is not whether that person is in jail or not in jail. I'm saying they need to be in a facility with other young people so they won't be preyed upon," said Williams.
Williams also feels it's crucial to give young people on the wrong path other options.
"It's so different than someone that's an adult and there are best practices on restorative justice programs and on other intervention series...and figure out why they are reoffending. A lot of times it's because of something in the home," said Williams.
The federal indictment against Williams claims he owes more than $200,000 in taxes after falsifying documents and not reporting cash payments he received for legal services.
Williams denied wrongdoing ahead of the indictment and blamed his tax preparer for the improper documents.
A statement from Williams' attorney identified his tax preparer as Henry Timothy. According to attorney Billy Gibbens, Timothy had been misrepresenting himself as a CPA.
"Initially, Mr. Timothy stood by his work. He assured us that he – not Jason – made all tax decisions, that he handled Jason’s returns the same as all his clients’, and that there was nothing wrong with Jason’s taxes," Gibbens said.
"However, after Mr. Timothy learned that he was under investigation by the IRS, he changed his tune and now claims that Jason 'pressured' him to take improper deductions. That is a lie."