Five current or former New Orleans police officers have pleaded guilty in the shootings of civilians on the Danziger Bridge in the days after Hurricane Katrina. Two people were killed and four people were wounded.

Former New Orleans police officer Jeffrey Lehrmann was sentenced Wednesday to three years in federal prison, the maximum sentence allowed for the charge he faced, months after he pleaded guilty to helping orchestrate a police cover-up of the fatal 2005 Danziger Bridge police shootings.

Lehrmann, who retired from the NOPD in 2006 to become a federal immigration agent, is the first person sentenced in the broad federal investigation into the shootings on the bridge. Five current or former officers have pleaded guilty, while six others are scheduled to go to trial next summer.

In handing down the sentence Wednesday, U.S. District Court Judge Lance Africk called the Danziger matter a "disgrace of immense proportion," and chastised Lehrmann for waiting four years to reveal details of the cover-up.

"It was only after you heard the footsteps of an expansive federal investigation that you came forward,"  Africk said.

Lehrmann, 38, pleaded guilty in March to misprision of a felony, or concealing knowledge of a federal crime. As part of his plea, Lehrmann acknowledged that he and fellow cops invented witnesses, planted a gun, twisted and changed victims' statements, and falsified reports.

Lehrmann was the first officer to cooperate with federal agents. He is a key witness and is expected to give crucial testimony in the government's case.

In an unsteady voice, Lehrmann faced the judge and addressed the courtroom.

"I want to apologize to the victims and their family for what I have done," Lehrmann said, adding that he also betrayed his oath of office as a public servant.

Lehrmann's attorney, Davidson Ehle III, lobbied Africk for leniency, saying that Lehrmann was the linchpin to the case and asserting that the investigation was at a "standstill" before Lehrmann decided to cooperate. Within months of Lehrmann's decision to cooperate, five officers pleaded guilty in the case, Ehle said.

"The impetus of all that was Jeffrey Lehrmann and his cooperation," Ehle said.

U.S. District Court Judge Lance Africk: 'It was only after you heard the footsteps of an expansive federal investigation that you came forward.'

He added that Lehrmann had been plagued with guilt and wanted to come forward earlier, "but it was just not that easy at the time."

Africk interrupted him.

"I think it was very easy," the judge said.

And when Ehle likened Lehrmann's situation after Hurricane Katrina to a soldier embedded in a foxhole with other officers, Africk again cut in.

"It was not as difficult a situation as the Madisons were in," Africk said.

Ronald Madison, a 40-year-old mentally disabled man, was shot dead by police on the bridge on Sept. 4, 2005. His brother Lance Madison, then 49, was falsely charged with shooting at police.

James Brissette, 17, was also killed by police gunfire. Four others were wounded.

Romell Madison, a local dentist and brother of Lance and Ronald Madison, also addressed the courtroom prior to the sentencing. saying the events deeply scarred the family.

"The loss of Ronald, the circumstances of his death, and the lies told about Ronald to try and justify his killing have been a painful and heart-wrenching experience for all of us," he said.

Madison noted that police also tried to frame his other brother, Lance, who could have served life in prison if he had been wrongfully convicted of shooting at officers, as originally charged.

"It has taken years for the truth to come out," Romell Madison said. He added that the family was "grateful the police code of silence was finally broken," though he did not ask the judge to show leniency toward Lehrmann as a result. Madison closed his speech by requesting that other NOPD officers come forward and tell the truth about the incident.

"It is never too late to do the right thing," Madison said.

Before imposing the sentence, Africk read aloud all of the explosive details contained in Lehrmann's plea, from a drop gun put into evidence, to false reports and fabricated witnesses, as well as a plot to use the hurricane as an excuse.

Jeffrey Lehrmann Photo: PBS

"You were an active operative in the cover-up," Africk told Lehrmann.

"If you had just initially come forward and told the truth, Lance Madison would not have been wrongfully detained and denied his freedom," Africk said. "What if Lance Madison had been your child, your father, or your loved one? How would you view your actions in that context?"

Africk noted that many of Lehrmann's relatives had written the court on his behalf. Some of the letters said Lehrmann was under immense pressure to stick with the false police version of events, and that it took great strength to swim against the tide in a corrupt police department.

"This court flatly rejects such characterizations," Africk said.

The three-year prison sentence is beyond the sentencing guidelines for the crime, which called for up to six months behind bars. Africk reasoned that the egregious nature of the crime and Lehrmann's actions warranted the departure.

Africk did not set a date for Lehrmann to report to prison. He remains free on $25,000 bond.

Lehrmann joined the NOPD in March 2005 and left about 18 months later to work in Arizona for U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement. He previously was a deputy for the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's office.

Four other former officers have pleaded guilty to roles in the shootings or the subsequent cover-up; all of them are expected to testify eventually at the trial of six other officers charged in the case.

Federal prosecutors had asked Africk to delay Lehrmann's sentencing until after the trial. Africk rejected the government's motion in late August.

Brendan McCarthy can be reached at bmccarthy@timespicayune.com

Source: The Times-Picayune