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4h ago

Grand Jury Indicts Ex–Louisiana House Speaker Clay Schexnayder in Alleged Theft of Rare State Artifact

The attorney general’s office says the ancient cypress board at issue remains missing.

FILE - House Speaker Clay Schexnayder waits to hear voting results in the Senate Chambers in Baton Rouge, La., July 20, 2021. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)
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Overview

  • A New Orleans grand jury charged Schexnayder with felony theft and malfeasance in office on Wednesday.
  • The indictment centers on an ancient cypress board valued at more than $25,000 that had been displayed at the state Capitol for decades.
  • The Times-Picayune-Advocate previously reported the board was removed more than a decade ago and displayed in Schexnayder’s Gonzales legislative office.
  • The felony theft count carries a potential penalty of up to 20 years in prison or a $50,000 fine.
  • Schexnayder has said he received permission to take the board, a claim Attorney General Liz Murrill rejected, and he did not respond to AP requests for comment.