The CFO of the New Orleans sheriff’s office is facing a slew of charges seeking to tie her to a jailbreak in the Louisiana city a year ago.
On Tuesday, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill announced that a special grand jury has indicted Bianka Brown, finance chief of the Orleans Parish sheriff’s office, on 20 felony counts. Susan Hutson, the outgoing sheriff for the parish, also faces 30 felony counts, according to court documents.
The charges against both Brown and Hutson include malfeasance in office, filing or maintaining false public records and obstruction of justice.
The charges come after the escape of 10 inmates from the Orleans Justice Center prison in May 2025, which Murrill’s office described as “one of the largest jailbreaks in the nation’s history.” All of the inmates were eventually recaptured.
In a news release issued Wednesday, Murrill noted that Hutson “did not personally open the doors of the jail for the escapees.” But, the attorney general continued, Hutson’s alleged “refusal to comply with basic legal requirements and to take even minimal precautions in the discharge of her duties directly contributed to and enabled the escape.”
Murrill said she is working with Sheriff-elect Michelle Woodfork on improving operations and securing the Louisiana prison.
Murrill’s office said that a judge has set a bond for Hutson at $300,000 and one for Brown at $200,000.
A Wednesday bill of indictment obtained by local newspaper Nola.com does not specifically mention the May 2025 jailbreak, nor does it provide any further details about the two women’s alleged role in it. Hutson and Brown were set to appear for a status hearing on Thursday, CNN reported. Murrill’s office is not yet releasing arrest warrants or other documents due to an ongoing investigation, the news outlet reported.
Brown began working in the Orleans Parish sheriff’s office in September 2024, local TV station WDSU reported. She previously worked at the Downtown Development District in New Orleans.
On May 16, 2025, a group of 10 men broke out of the Louisiana Justice Center prison through a hole in a wall behind a toilet. It took authorities months to bring back all escapees.
Brown had said around the time that there wasn’t enough money for maintenance and service contracts to repair broken doors and replace locks, among other infrastructure issues at the jail, USA Today reported, citing PBS.
