New Orleans, Louisiana – A New Orleans judge has sentenced Danette Colbert to 25 years in prison after declaring her a quadruple habitual offender, following a push by the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office. The decision comes after Colbert’s conviction last year on charges of theft, computer fraud, and illegal transmission of monetary funds, crimes she committed in the French Quarter.
Colbert, who has five previous felony convictions related to fraud, was initially given a 10-year suspended sentence by the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office. This meant she would not serve time in prison unless she violated certain conditions. However, prosecutors from Attorney General Liz Murrill’s Office argued that this sentence was illegal under Louisiana’s habitual offender laws, which call for harsher penalties for repeat offenders. Their motion to correct the sentence was denied by Orleans Criminal District Court Judge Nandi F. Campbell, but the judge ultimately agreed with the prosecution on the habitual offender status and imposed a much longer sentence.
“This is a testament to the hard work and cooperation between my prosecutors in New Orleans and State Police’s Troop NOLA,” Attorney General Murrill said in a statement. She credited her New Orleans Section Chief Daniel Smart and District Attorney Jason Williams for their collaboration in this cross-jurisdictional case. Murrill emphasized that Colbert “was a serial fraudster and took advantage of multiple tourists and innocent people over many years in the French Quarter.”
Colbert is also facing serious criminal charges in Jefferson Parish, including second-degree murder in connection with the death of Telemundo Kansas City reporter Adan Manzano during Super Bowl LIX weekend in New Orleans. That case is still pending, and Attorney General Murrill expressed hope that justice would be served there as well.
The habitual offender law in Louisiana allows for enhanced sentencing when a person is convicted of a felony after having previous felony convictions. These laws are designed to protect the public from individuals who commit repeated serious crimes. In Colbert’s situation, her criminal history played a significant role in the court’s decision to increase her sentence.