OIG Authority
The Louisiana Office of State Inspector General is an independent office with a mission to investigate white collar criminal and public corruption cases within the executive branch of state government. The office was established by executive order of the Governor in 1988 and was converted into a law enforcement agency by the Legislature in 2008.
OIG is staffed with POST certified criminal investigators, all of whom have prior investigative experience with other Louisiana law enforcement agencies. OIG has investigators assigned to the FBI Public Corruption Task Force and the US Secret Service Cyber Fraud Task Force.
The Office of State Inspector General has jurisdiction over all departments, offices, agencies, boards, commissions, task forces, authorities, and divisions of the executive branch of state government as specifically provided in Title 36 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes. OIG authority is defined in Title 49 under the following statutes:
Criminal investigations conducted by the Office of Inspector General may result in federal prosecutions by the Unites States Attorneys in the Eastern, Middle, and Western districts of Louisiana, or may result in state prosecutions by District Attorneys in any of Louisiana’s 42 judicial districts.
The Office of State Inspector general may also investigate complaints that are not criminal in nature. These investigations may result in a variety of corrective actions including, but not limited to, issuing a letter to management of the subject agency or issuing a public report.
OIG History
The Office of State Inspector General was originally created April 1, 1988, by executive order of Governor Buddy Roemer (BR 88-10) and remained in continuous existence by subsequent governors.
The office was enabled by statute when Governor Bobby Jindal signed Act 12 of the First Extraordinary Session of 2008 enacting R.S. 49:220.21 through R.S. 49:220.25. This legislation established an independent Office of Inspector General within the Office of the Governor.
Act 831 of the 2008 Regular Session then designated the office a law enforcement agency by conferring all investigative powers and privileges appurtenant to law enforcement except arrest power. However, the Inspector General investigators have Special Officer Commissions from the Louisiana State Police, which do include full arrest powers.
Bill Lynch was appointed the first State Inspector General in April 1988, and held the position until his death in February 2004. In March 2005, Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco appointed CPA Sharon B. Robinson as the second State Inspector General, and in January 2008, Governor Bobby Jindal appointed attorney Stephen B. Street, Jr. as the new State Inspector General.
MAILING ADDRESS: P.O. Box 94095, Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9095
PHYSICAL ADDRESS: 602 North 5th Street, Suite 621, Baton Rouge, LA 70802
PHONE NUMBER: (225) 342-4262 | FAX NUMBER: (225) 342-6761
FRAUD AND ABUSE HOTLINE: 866-201-2549
